I'll Starve Your Fears
by Savvy Sammy-13
Summary: Merle stakes his claims on teenage Layna. She finds comfort in Daryl. Are they meant to be or will something she can't control rip them apart? Rated M just in case. Please read and review! Daryl/OC/Merle
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: I do not own anything from The walking Dead, only my OC, Layna. (Pronounced Lay-nah). Any similarities to other fanfics are purely coincidental and not copied._

_ This is my first fanfic so i really appreciate any reviews. This idea just popped into my head so i figured i'd give it a shot. If i get reviews then i will think this story is good enough to keep pursuing so please review! This may start out a little slow but it speeds up i promise. Thanks again guys._

Sticks and briars stung Layna's face as she stumbled through the woods. How long had she been running? She couldn't remember. She was so exhausted she could barely think. She slowed her pace as she thought. This had to be her third day. Her mind was filled with flashes of memory of the creatures she had just barely escaped from. The screams of pure agony and pain of those being attacked on the interstate were still replaying in her head. She had barely made it off that crowded interstate and away from the driver's education car she had been riding in. She wasn't even sure if her teacher or classmates had made it out. She'd taken the only option available to keep herself alive. She left them and darted into the woods, leaving the screams of the victims and groans of the attackers behind.

She took a deep breath as she came into a clearing. Her side ached and her mouth was as dry as cotton. She leaned over and placed her hands on her knees. She had no clue where she was and she wanted to know where her family was. 'Were they okay?' She sure hoped so. She could imagine her parents sitting in front of the television watching everything unfold on the news. She hoped her sister, nephew, and brother-in-law were there too. Was this the virus that the news had been warning people about? She hadn't paid much attention to it, assuming that it would be something like the bird flu and swine flu. It being something everyone freaked out over and then forgot soon after. Wow was she wrong. 'Were those people **zombies**?' The crackling of dry leaves made her stand straight back up.

"Freeze!" A raspy voice from behind her yelled.

* * *

When Daryl first saw her she was being pushed through the bushes by the barrel of Merle's gun. Her hands were up and her deep blue eyes were wide open. Her eyes were the first thing that caught his attention. She looked kinda' like a scared rabbit that had run out in front of a truck, not knowin' which way to run. He took a moment and surveyed Merle's catch. She was pretty tall, probably around 5'6 with a small frame. She was thin but not sickly. Couldn't have weighed more than 120 pounds or so. Her light brown hair was a few inches past her shoulders and she was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans with a white shirt buttoned only partway up to cover a pink frilly undershirt or tank top of some sort.

Merle's voice broke his thoughts," Look here Daryl, found angel eyes here instead of supper." Merle nudged her forward with the barrel, nearly sending her sprawling over a few gnarled tree roots.

"Why'd ya bring her here?" Daryl finally spoke.

"Thought she'd be good company lil' brother," Merle grinned. "Sides' she was walker bait out there anyway, running 'round in circles."

"I was…lost," the girl stuttered, finally opening her mouth.

"What's your name?" Daryl asked.

"Layna…."

"What's that stand for? Alana or something?" Merle butted in.

The girl did not make eye contact. "No", she murmured.

She glanced around as if she was plotting her escape. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear. Daryl watched her thin fingers as they carefully ran through her hair. He watched her hand drop back down and dangle by her leg. She was shaking. This girl _was_ a catch, Daryl thought to himself. She was slender with a small chest and ass but it seemed to fit her well. She was by far the best lookin' woman Merle had ever shown him before. She seemed kinda like one of them 'girl next door types' who wouldn't look his way even if his hair caught on fire.

" How old are you?" Daryl asked.

"I'm 18," she said softly."

'Dang, she's just a kid,' he thought to himself. He suddenly felt guilty for judging her so closely. Merle walked around to face her and reached out to touch a strand of her hair. She flinched as though she thought she was about to be hit.

"Leave her alone Merle," He was willing to pull Merle away if need be. "Barely legal," Merle said grinning.

Daryl knew exactly what had been on his brother's mind since the moment he found her.

* * *

Layna was scared. These men didn't seem like the kind you would want to run into alone. Hell, she knew she'd been careless running around by herself but getting kidnapped by a couple of hicks had definitely been the last thing on her mind. Now she found herself standing in the middle of a make-shift camp with a shotgun barrel stabbing into her back. She stared into the face of the man her kidnapper called his brother. He was wearing a pair of dirty jeans and a dirty flannel shirt with the sleeves ripped off. He was muscular and not someone she would want to have to run from. He was staring at her as if she was the freakin Easter bunny. She glanced at the ground, trying to escape the man's icy blue stare. The older man shoved the barrel harder into her back, bringing her back to reality.

"Merle, just let her go," the man standing before her muttered gruffly. "She's probably got a group out there or something ."

"Nah she ain't got one." "Ain't that right angel eyes."

She flinched when Merle's raspy voice cut through the air.

" Who in there right mind would let a pretty lil' thing like this run around unprotected, huh?'

She was getting more and more nervous. She couldn't keep her legs from shaking. She was pretty sure the man in front of her had noticed. Merle lowered the gun from her back and stepped around to face her. She tried not to make eye contact as he looked her up and down. He was clearly older than his brother and definitely had a different demeanor than his brother. Daryl looked like a man you would see working on a farm. Merle, however was wearing a leather vest and black pants. She automatically assumed he had to be the owner of the souped up motorcycle parked a few feet away. She looked down at her shoes. Why the hell had she decided to wear Toms the day everything went to Hell? They now had a few holes and were so dirty that she could barely tell they'd once been white. Merle's rough hand caught her chin and forced her to look up at him. She swallowed hard. Daryl stepped forward giving Merle a disgusted look. "You can't be fuckin' serious, Merle!"

"Shut the Hell up!" Merle hissed.

She gasped as Merle jerked the shotgun around and pointed it into Daryl's face. Not a second later her adrenaline kicked in. She turned and darted back toward the bushes Merle had just led her through.

"Hey!"

The anger in Merle's voice gave her the strength to push herself through the undergrowth of the woods. Her mind was screaming at her to run faster as she heard the crashing of footsteps behind her.

"Get back here you bitch!" Merle bellowed.

' He's getting closer!' Her mind screamed at her. 'Run!' She took a sharp right through a briar bush and leapt over a fallen pine tree. She darted back to the left and flattened herself behind a large oak, straining her ears to hear over her ragged breathing.

'Had she made it? Did she outrun him?' Her mind whirred but she forced herself to stand still.

Layna stayed pressed against the tree until her breathing became easier. Her heart was still beating a mile a minute but she was too antsy to stay any longer. She quietly peeked her head around, scanning the area before leaning back against the rough bark. She had no idea which way to run. More than anything she was scared she would run back into Merle. A loud groan suddenly made her whirl around and remember that Merle definitely wasn't the only threat in the woods.

* * *

Daryl ran after Merle as he darted in the woods after his prey. "Hey! Come back here you bitch!" Merle screamed as he ran.

"Merle calm the fuck down. You're gonna bring every walker from miles!" Daryl shouted after him.

Daryl knew he was faster than Merle but Merle had definitely gotten a head start. He was actually worried for the poor girl. Who knew what Merle would do when he found her - if he found her that is. 'No, he corrected himself. Merle would find her.' He wasn't the type to give up and the girl looked exhausted. Daryl figured she'd probably been running lost in the woods for days. Daryl caught sight of a walker just as merle disappeared through an area of thick underbrush. He froze in his tracks, torn between following his angered brother or killing the unsuspecting walker. He bent down and pulled his hunting knife out of his boot. He then snuck quietly behind the walker and jammed the knife through the top of it's head. It barely had enough time to turn and look at him. He dropped the walker and pulled his knife out. He looked at the walker as he wiped the bloodied, goop covered knife on his pants leg. It's face was frozen in a half snarl, almost showing its teeth. It was wearing a pair of khaki pants and a tie with a suit jacket. His mind wandered a little, like it always did when he saw a walker. 'This man was a normal guy probably with a family, now he was a monster.' Daryl slipped his knife back in his boot and headed in the direction he last saw Merle. Merle was easy to track. He just hoped he would find him in time.

As Daryl followed Merle's trail he was starting to worry. He didn't think his brother would get this far ahead of him. Suddenly a scream pierced the air and Daryl quickened his pace. "Shit!" he cursed. A gun shot exploded into the air and Daryl froze in his tracks. "That bastard musta' killed her." he murmured aloud. He started running again and saw his brother's leather jacket come into view. His brother was standing over a body. Daryl felt an ache deep in his chest. As his brother turned, Daryl saw that it wasn't one body, but two.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Layna clambered into the driver's education car. First period was definitely too early to have to drive in a car full of Freshmen. Layna offered to drive first, hoping she could take a nap while the other's drove. She took the keys from Mr. Mcmoy and started the car. She turned on the radio and Mr. Mcmoy turned it back off. "How many times do I have to tell you we are not listening to music in this car?" "Music is only a distraction….." Mr. Mcmoy droned on but Layna groaned and pulled out of the high school parking lot, tuning out his lectures. Mr. Mcmoy chatted with the freshmen about their classes while she drove. "Pull onto the interstate Layna." Mr. Mcmoy ordered with the same baritone voice that never seemed to change. "You got it," Layna muttered as she entered the interstate. As she drove, she tuned out the conversations of the others in the car. She was far more worried about a Spanish test coming up next period. She tried counting in her head. 'uno dos tres cuatro cinco seis siete ocho nueve diez once doce trece…' "What the hell?" she mumbled out loud._

_Far in the distance Layna could see cars in a standstill. People's possessions littered the interstate and she could see people stumbling and running from a line of stopped cars. The car in front of her slammed on brakes and swerved off the roadway._

"_Pull Over!" Mr. mcmoy shouted to her._

_Before Layna could stop, a man ran in front of their car. He hit the windshield with a splat, Leaving a bloody spot behind. Her breaks squealed to a stop and the freshmen in the back seat screamed. Layna threw open her door, stepping into a brawl of people. It was like stepping into the middle of Times Square. She pulled away from a woman with wild blonde hair who snagged her white button up shirt. The woman snarled, gnashing her teeth. Some of these people looked dead. She screamed and darted past bleeding people and from the people that looked like creatures as they all tried to reach out and touch her. It was pure chaos. She finally ran off the road and into the woods. A few creatures stumbled after her but she ran past them and deeper into the thick woods. After running for a few minutes she tripped over a root and landed hard on her knees._

'_Why had she gotten out of that car? Why didn't she just drive Mr. Mcmoy and the others to safety?' _

_Sobs wracked her body and she gagged thinking about the horrid sight and putrid smells she had just witnessed._

* * *

As Daryl got closer he saw that it was a walker and Layna's body laying beside Merle's feet. He swallowed hard.

"What the hell happened merle?"

Merle laid the gun aside and bent down to look at the small girl's body. "A damn walker almost got her …shot that son of a bitch though."

Daryl kneeled down to look at the girl, "but what the hell happened to _her_?'

Merle pointed to her head and laughed. "I kept her from runnin' knocked her out."

"Fuck," Daryl muttered. "Ya hit her with the butt of that shotgun?" "You coulda' killed her."

Merle laughed. "Here help me carry her back."

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Layna ran and ran. She was lost, scared, and thirsty. She had run into a few more of the creatures already and it wasn't even dark yet. She looked up at the sky as she walked. _

'_Where was she supposed to sleep? Were there creatures like this everywhere or just here in Georgia?' _

_She soon found a small rural road and followed it for a while. No cars passed and she was getting even more worried. It would be dark soon and she had no idea where she was going to hunker down. There was no way she could keep wandering like this, especially in the dark. She couldn't see a house or anything nearby so she resorted to looking for a nice tree to climb. She always considered herself a resourceful country girl._

"_Guess now's my time to prove it." she grumbled to herself._

_She began walking the edge of the woods, looking for a tree with low limbs. When she found one with limbs big enough to perch on she shimmied up the tree and made herself as comfortable as she could. This would be a long night._

* * *

Daryl scooped up Layna and carried her bridal style while Merle picked up his shotgun. He was surprised at how light she was. He looked down at her face. The bruise on the side of her head was swelling. It had already turned a greenish purplish color.

"You should have left her alone, Merle," Daryl muttered, shaking his head.

"She was gonna die out here lil' brother." "You wouldn't want me to leave a defenseless and vulnerable girl out on her on now would ya?" "There's some sick pricks out there these days," Merle said, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Yeah and you're one of em." Daryl muttered back as he carefully lifted the girl in his arms so he could step over a fallen pine tree.

"What'd you say to me?" Merle yelled, stepping in front of Daryl.

"Nothin' Merle," Daryl growled. "Let's just get her back and let her rest."

"Alright Doctor Darlina, you know best." Merle scoffed.

As they stepped into their campsite Daryl stopped. Where was he supposed to put her? He glanced around. She was either going on the ground, Merle's tent, or his tent. Merle laid his shotgun against his tent and walked back toward them. " I'll take her from here," he said reaching for her.

"Uh nah Merle you ain't gonna touch her." He pulled her away from Merle's grasp.

Merle stopped as if he couldn't believe Daryl stood up to him. "Well what are you gonna do with her Daryl? Keep her to yourself? I don't think so bro."

Daryl froze. Did he really think he would be able to keep her away from Merle for long? Merle always got what he wanted. He didn't care how much pain he had to inflict to others in order to get it. Daryl had the scars to prove it.

"Merle, I'm bein serious now, don't hurt her."

Merle laughed. Merle's raspy laugh reminded him of one of the villians on an old movie.

"Layna, wake up." Daryl said softly, shaking the girl a little. Merle laughed some more. Daryl's mind was racing. Maybe if he could get her awake she may be able to get away. He groaned. Who was he kidding, this girl probably had a concussion. Daryl saw Merle reach for his shotgun and he knew he was in trouble. Merle was unpredictable, especially when he was on his drugs. Daryl had seen Merle pop a few pills before heading out hunting earlier. He figured that was probably what had him so roused up. Daryl looked at the unconscious girl in his arms before laying her on the ground. "Just calm down." he said stepping back slowly.

Hell, he wasn't gonna let himself get killed by his own brother during a zombie apocalypse because of some dumb girl. Daryl sat against the tree closest to his tent, whittling a stick into an arrow. He glanced back to Merle's tent. He couldn't believe he had just let Merle take her to his tent. He glanced back to the arrow in progress.

"Dumb Bitch should've gotten away. She had her chance," he mumbled to himself.

He picked up his crossbow and headed to the woods, throwing down the half made arrow. He needed to clear his mind. This girl wasn't about to turn his own flesh and blood against him.

* * *

_Flashback: _

_Layna spent her second night out on her own in an old barn. She had a bad run in with a creature the next morning. She'd tripped and almost gotten bitten. It was a close call. Once she fell on the ground he latched onto her feet. He had almost gotten her foot in his mouth before she kicked his head backwards, breaking his neck. She needed to find real people. She ran the rest of the day, stopping at a stream to drink water. Dying from a parasite was the last the on her mind. She had her run in with Merle later that day when she was so exhausted she didn't think she could run anymore._

* * *

Daryl watched as the doe craned her neck to scan the woods before bending her back to nibble on a plant. He raised his bow, steadying himself against the pine tree that hid him from his prey.

'C'mon, just turn broad side.' He pleaded in his mind.

He'd been tracking this doe for at least an hour and he didn't plan on going back to camp without it. The doe jerked her head up, flicking her ears. Daryl froze. Suddenly she took a step to his right. "Perfect," he thought to himself. He pulled his arrow back, getting ready to let it fly when a shrill scream cut the air. The doe darted into the thick underbrush.

"Aw fuck!"

He lowered the crossbow and punched the tree in front of him, releasing all of the built up anger and frustration he'd been keeping in.

"What hell was it this time?"

He could feel the blood beginning to run down his fingers. Wiping his hand on his pants, he turned in the direction the scream had come and started jogging back to camp. It had to have come from there. Another shriek made him quicken his pace. Before the edge of the woods even came into view he could hear Merle's voice. Daryl burst through the bushes and into the sunlight. Merle was standing in front of Layna. She had a handkerchief in her mouth and was kneeling with her hands tied behind her back. Merle turned to face him. "She's a screamer ain't she, little brother."


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews so far guys. Please keep reading and let me know what you think. I'm up for any ideas, opinions, and criticisms. I'm a little new to this so i hope you guys understand. Thanks again!_

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Layna's head throbbed as she opened her eyes and squinted at the bright light penetrating through the thin material roof of the tent. _

'_Wait…a tent?'_

_She felt dazed, confused and her body was sticky with sweat. __She pulled herself up into a sitting position, realizing at that same moment that she was half naked. She was only wearing her bra and underwear. The light was blinding her sensitive eyes and causing the pain in her head to escalate. She forced her eyes back closed and felt her head. She cried out as her fingers brushed against a sore bruise. It was between her temple and ear on her right side and half the size of an egg. She tried to open her eyes again._

'_Oh! Still too bright'_

_She could feel tears forming in her closed eyes as she lowered her face into her hands. She began to blindly search for her clothes. She could feel the panic rising in her throat. Suddenly a rustling outside the tent forced her eyes back open. She quickened her pace, fumbling through the mess that littered the tent floor. Cans of food, cigarettes, dirty clothes, pill bottles, packed knap-sacks, and trash were strewn about. She picked up the wadded up sleeping bag she'd been laying on and tossed it to the other side of the tent. She froze as she caught sight of her white shirt wadded with a pile of other clothes. She gagged. Sifting through the piles of clothes was making the smell of sweat even stronger and unbearable. Before she could grab her clothes, a leather vest close by caught her attention. Fuzzy memories came flooding back to her. She remembered the men and running from them. Then that thing had gotten after her, oh and the pain she'd felt._

'_He must have hit me,' her mind concluded. _

'But w_hat else had they done to her?' _

_A sob escaped her dry throat, almost choking her. She jerked on her pink tank top and jeans. Her hands were shaking so badly even something as simple as buttoning her shirt was almost impossible.__Clutching her wadded up white shirt to her chest, she stumbled to the door of the tent. Being inside of this tent during a sweltering Georgia day was like being inside of an inferno. Black splotches began forming right before her eyes and she blindly fumbled with the zipper to the tent. She felt as if she was going blind. She finally unzipped the zipper and __felt the slight breeze hit her face as she pushed throught the tent flap and fell into the dirt. _

"_Well Well Well," the familiar and raspy voice laughed amusingly._

_Layna glanced up dizzily. She tried desperately to see through the splotchy haze that obscured her vision. She knew who it was though, it had to be the older brother. She scrambled to her feet, leaning against the tent for support. She felt totally and incredibly helpless, even more helpless than when she ran from those creatures. She knew she was at this man's mercy and it scared the Hell out of her._

"_Please." she begged. "Don't hurt me."_

_She held up her arms, trying to block out the harsh sunlight that made her splitting headache worse. She stood for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for a reply. Her vision began to clear enough that she could see him. He stood, watching her, only a few feet away. He was holding something in his hands. She lowered her arms, trying to focus on what he was doing. He seemed to find it quite amusing that she was helpless. She swallowed hard. He was holding a wad of thick black string or rope of some sort. She panicked. She darted behind the tent and headed for the woods even though she knew there was no use. She stumbled the entire way. Her body just wasn't working. She heard him gaining on her. His strong arm hooked around her waist and she screamed. She kicked against his body while his other hand gripped a handful of her long brown hair. _

"_Stop!" she shrieked. "Somebody help me!" It was just one last desperate attempt for help. He slammed her to the ground, knocking the breath out of her small body. Her arms caught her before her face could hit the hard ground. She gasped for air. It felt as if her lungs had closed up. She struggled underneath his heavy body, trying desperately to get air into her lungs._

"_You stupid bitch, you really think yer gonna get away from me?"_

_His hot breath was right in her ear now. He pulled her right arm out from under her and pulled it behind her back. Then he did the same with the left. She was now face first in the dry dirt. She was still having a hard time getting air in her lungs and he only laughed at her gasps. She could feel him wrapping the rope around her wrists. When he was done he stood up, admiring his work. He bent down and rolled her over. She let out a cry as he forced her to lay on her tied arms at such an unnatural angle. He smiled at her before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a red handkerchief. He balled it up and shoved it into her mouth, forcing it in as far as it would go. _

"_uuummmmphh!" she tired to scream. _

"_Now ain't that better?" he asked. _

_A sudden noise in the woods made him turn. She layed still, she figured it would be just her luck for it to be one of those creatures. This man would probably just let it eat her too. Tears stung her eyes._

"_Get your ass up." he grunted as he bent down and lifted her up by her arms. He started pulling her back toward camp before she even got her feet on the ground. Briars stuck into her bare feet as he dragged her. She hadn't even noticed she wasn't wearing shoes. He shoved her hard onto her knees in front of the tent, just as his brother burst into the campsite from the woods._

_ "She's a screamer ain't she lil brother."_

* * *

Daryl frowned. This girl looked like she'd gotten the shit beaten out of her. He walked by them, laying his crossbow against his tent.

"Bad hunt?" Merle asked casually.

"Yeah it was! Maybe you should keep that stupid bitch quiet if you want somethin to eat!" Daryl exploded.

He stole another glance at the girl. She was only wearing her tank top and jeans now. Hell, he was surprised she was wearing anything at all. She was on her knees with her head down and sticks and leaves were sticking out of her tangled hair. He assumed she had just attempted another escape.

"I'd like to see you try and keep her quiet lil brother. She's got a loud ass mouth."

"Well Merle, another reason we don't need her then ain't it? We're runnin out of supplies and if she keeps screamin like that we're all gonna get killed."

Daryl didn't wanna push his brother too much on the subject. He did feel sorry for her but what was he gonna do? He knew this wasn't the first woman Merle had mistreated.

Merle snorted. "Who said we gotta feed her?" Then he laughed. "I reckon we do gotta feed her if we want her to last a while."

Daryl jerked around to face Layna as he heard a loud gagging sound. " You better get that fuckin rag out of her mouth. She's gonna puke!" Daryl hissed at Merle. Merle didn't move, just looked at her. Daryl ran over and pulled the handkerchief out of her mouth just in time. She leaned over and threw up, gagging and heaving.

"Shit Merle. What'd ya do to her?"

Merle shrugged. "I ain't done nothing barely even touched her yet."

"You liar!" Layna shrieked

Daryl looked from Layna to Merle. He had to say he believed her over his brother, but he kept quiet.

Merle glared at her. "How would you know anyway? Huh? You were out like a fuckin light! But I didn't touch you! I laid you in that tent and left you there!" He bent down so he was eye level with her. "Don't mean I ain't gonna though. I been waiting for you to wake up so it'd be more fun and be something you'd remember."

"She's probably got a bad concussion," Daryl cut in. "That's why she's sick an all."

"I don't give a fuck what she's got." Merle spat back at Daryl.

Daryl definitely had his share of concussions. Most of them came from Merle. He thought back to how sick he had gotten the time Merle had hit him with that wrench when they were fixing the kitchen sink. He hadn't hit him with it, he corrected himself. He'd pretty much beat the shit out of him with the damn thing. He knew the pain she must be feeling.

As soon as Merle turned back to face Layna, she spit right in his face. Merle wasted no time knocking her backwards onto her tied up arms. Daryl rushed over as Merle dodged her kicking legs, pinning them to the ground with his knees. Merle clamped his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming.

Daryl dove for his brother, ramming his shoulder into him and catching him by surprise. He pushed him off of Layna and landed on top of him. Daryl immediately regretted his actions when Merle began throwing punches. He dodged the first few, even tried to throw in a few of his own but Merle's fist caught Daryl's nose, stunning him long enough for Merle to turn the tables on him. Merle leapt to his feet and hovered over him. Daryl held his nose as blood began to pour out of it.

"You gotta remember who's in charge here Darlina. Who pissed in your cheerios anyway huh? Oh I know what it is." Merle grinned as he glanced back to Layna who was watching with a horrified expression. "Somebodys jealous."

"Shut the fuck up, Merle." Daryl muttered as he climbed up, making it a point to shove Merle's shoulder hard with his.

"Face it lil brother, you ain't never been good with the ladies. Just can't please em can you?"

Daryl could feel his face burning red. 'How the hell could his brother say crap like that in front of this girl?'

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry this chapter was short. Next chapter will make up for it. Layna and the Dixon brothers will meet up with Shane and the group next chapter. We'll find out that Layna has family still alive. Thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: I must once again apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I was busy last night and will be tonight also so i wanted to at least update with something. I really really appreciate every reader and review. Reviews motivate me to get off my lazy butt and write some more so keep reviewing and let me know what you think! Enjoy!_

* * *

Layna struggled, trying to free her wrists from the taut rope. Merle was now yelling insults and making Daryl angrier and angrier. Why had Daryl stood up for her? She suddenly felt bad. Merle had left her and redirected his horrible treatment to his younger brother. 'But Daryl was use to him right? Why would he be with Merle if he couldn't handle him?'

She turned her attention back to the feuding brothers. Daryl was sporting a bloody nose while Merle sported a sneer. Layna knew Daryl was her last hope. If he didn't help her then no one could. 'What if Merle was right though, what if Daryl was just jealous and would just take her for himself?' She desperately hoped Merle was wrong. 'He had to be.'

"You might as well just turn your lil tail back around and go back in them woods lil brother. Catch us some supper, hell that's about all your good for anyway," Merle pointed back at the woods.

Layna looked back at Daryl, trying to read the emotion on his face. He wiped his bloodied nose with the back of his hand and bit his bottom lip hard as if holding back anger.

"Ain't got nothin to say? Well get goin," Merle waved his hand toward the woods.

Daryl looked like he was about to explode. She could feel the tension in the air. Holding her breath, she waited for him to respond. 'He couldn't just leave her to him, could he?'

"Daddy'd be ashamed of ya boy. You're stickin up for this stupid bitch you don't even know." Merle pointed in her direction and Daryl's eyes met hers. "I've always been there for ya boy. You think she cares about you? She just wants to save her own ass."

"No!" Layna shrieked. But Daryl had already diverted his gaze away from hers.

Daryl stood as if frozen in place as Merle turned back to face her. She struggled against the rope again, causing it to cut into her sore wrists.

"No! Please you can't let him do this!" she shrieked as Merle lunged at her, but Daryl only stared blankly in her direction.

Merle pulled her up by her arms again and forcefully dragged her in the direction of his tent.

"Please Daryl! Help!" She tried desperately to make Daryl look at her but he turned around and began walking away.

Her last hope had just walked out on her.

Merle pushed her through the tent flap and hard onto her stomach. Using her legs, she propelled herslef back onto her back and as far into the tent as she could. She could feel the odd objects jamming into her back. She looked up just in time to see him undoing his belt. Pulling her knees up, she scooted back until she felt the material of the tent against her back. She knew there was nowhere else to go. Merle stared down at her, enjoying the moment of being totally and completely in control before he threw his weight on top of her. Another scream erupted from her parched throat before Merle clamped his hand over her mouth. She kicked her legs frantically, trying to make Merle's other hand lose it's grip on the waist of her jeans but his knees jammed into her thighs. He let go of her mouth just long enough to get her jeans button undone and jerk them down and off. She took the opportunity to scream louder until her voice cracked. The back of Merle's hand met the side of her face, stunning her.

"Shut the fuck up!" he hissed into her ear as he pushed the side of her face harder into the rough tent floor.

* * *

Daryl ducked into his tent and dug in his bag for his handkerchief. He pulled it out and pressed it to his nose, tilting his head back as he did it. He could hear Layna's screams from Merle's tent. As much as he wanted to burst through the tent and help her, he couldn't bring himself to do it. His mind began making up excuses.

'It's not like he could've stopped Merle anyway right?'

But that definitely still didn't make up for the fact that he was just sitting back in his tent while his brother raped that poor girl a few feet away.' Hell, She'd begged him to help her, even called his name.'

He threw the bloody handkerchief into the corner.

"I'm no better than he is." he murmured to himself as he laid back onto his sleeping bag.

* * *

The unzipping of his tent woke Daryl with a start. His eyes flew open and he scrambled to his knees. It was pitch dark.

"Shit!" he hadn't planned on falling asleep.

A dull light began to show as the tent flap was unzipped and Merle's head poked in.

"You been asleep?" Merle asked

"Uh yeah," Daryl muttered as he rubbed his eyes.

"You should've lit a fire before you went to sleep. I woke up and had to do it in the fuckin dark." Merle complained.

Daryl climbed out of the tent past his brother.

"I didn't plan on fallin asleep, just happened. What do you want?"

"I just need a favor lil brother. Keep an eye on that bitch for me alright? I gotta take a piss."

Daryl nodded. He'd made up his mind and he knew this might be his only opportunity to help Layna. He knew Merle usually stayed out for a while so he decided to give this a shot. He watched Merle stalk off into the woods with their only flashlight, making sure he was completely out of sight before he headed over to Merle's tent. He had no idea what he was even going to say to her. What was he supposed to say?

'Oh I'm sorry I didn't help you earlier but I'm here now?'

He shook the doubts out of his head and bent down by the tent.

"Layna?" He said softly.

He waited but heard no reply.

"Layna it's Daryl. I'm comin in."

* * *

Layna was laying on her side, hands still tied behind her back when she heard Daryl's voice.

"No!" she choked out. "Don't. Just leave me alone."

She heard the tent unzipping and pulled her knees up, trying to hide her nearly naked body. Merle had left her in her bra and underwear once again. The dull light of the campfire illuminated the tent just enough to see as Daryl poked his head in and glanced around.

"Are you alright?"

"If you aren't gonna help me then get the hell away from me!" she gasped in between sobs.

"I am here to help!" he gruffly reassured her as he climbed into the tent. "We gotta hurry though Merle may not be long."

He reached around her and tried to untie the rope that bound her hands. He finally had to pull his hunting knife from his boot and cut the rope. Layna gasped as she pulled her arms back around. Her arms ached, but they weren't the only thing. Her headache had gotten significantly worse and her body was sore from the bruises she had sustained from Merle. Salty tears and shame burned her face.

* * *

Daryl looked at the broken and abused girl in front of him. He forced his eyes away from her to look for her clothes. Her jeans and tank top were balled up in the corner. He yanked them up an held them out to her. She weakly reached up and took them from him.

"You know", she sniffled "You could have come a little earlier."

"Daryl!" Merle's angry voice came from outside the tent, interrupting his thoughts.

"Get dressed and stay here," he hissed at Layna. "I'll be back."

Daryl turned and leapt out of the tent.

* * *

Layna's hands shook as she pulled her jeans and tank top on. What was gonna happen now? Merle had come back too soon. She leaned in close to the tent flap, trying to hear the brothers' voices outside.

'Was Daryl still going to help her?' She wondered.

"There's another camp out there, Daryl."

Layna's mind raced. Maybe she could get away and find help.

"What?" She heard Daryl ask. "Is it a lot of people?"

"Looks like it. They got tents set up and even an RV. I think they got people out on watch.."

"Who the fuck are you?" Daryl's harsh voice suddenly interrupted Merle's.

Layna leaned in closer, opening the tent flap just enough to get a peek through. She could see Daryl standing with his crossbow aimed at something she couldn't see by the edge of the woods. She strained her eyes, but it was no use. It was just too dark. Merle reached over and grabbed his shotgun, pointing it in the same direction.

"Whoa, hold up. I was just comin to see who the hell was sneakin around our camp," a man said before stepping into the firelight.

* * *

_Author's Note: I'm sorry i had to burst your bubbles. I know a lot of you guys were rooting for Layna to emerge unscathed, but it was an important element in the storyline. I was busier than i thought so they didn't quite make it to the group yet but this just means they will next chapter. Review and let me know what you guys think! Thanks again!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Once again thanks to the positive reviews. They motivated me enough to take the time and post this chapter. I wanted to say a special thanks to my faithful reviewers! Oh and **Emberka-2012** You are right. The reason Daryl isn't helping right away is because he is used to obeying Merle and he doesn't wanna go against his own brother. He feels sorry for her but Merle has a very strong hold over him. Read, Review, and Enjoy!_

* * *

Daryl tensed up as the man stepped from the dark shadows and into the firelight. He was tall and wearing a pair of jeans with a long unbuttoned shirt. Daryl kept his crossbow aimed. In a situation like this people were unpredictable. He remembered when people had just realized the gravity of the situation at hand and went crazy trying to collect supplies. Merle and him had rode past many stores with hordes of people breaking into the windows and fighting each other for food and water.

"Ya'll gotta group here?" the man asked as he stepped closer to them.

Daryl glanced to Merle, not knowing how much he should say.

"Just me and ma brother." Merle replied.

"Ah," the man nodded, glancing around as if he didn't believe him. "The name's Ed," he said as he held out his hand to Merle.

Merle glanced back at Daryl before lowering his gun and shaking the man's hand. "Merle, and this is my brother Daryl.."

Daryl nodded at the man.

"You can lower that thing ya know. I ain't here to start nothin. Just had to get away for a while." the man said to Daryl as he pulled a cigarette from behind his ear.

Daryl lowered the crossbow.

"So how big is your group?" Merle asked.

"Eh," the man scratched his short hair, "It's pretty big, we got a lot of families. We got a dumb cop who thinks he's in charge."

Merle laughed. "Don't they always."

"And he's doin one hell of a job. He's letting everybody just about starve to death," Ed muttered as he pulled a lighter out of his pocket and lit his cigarette.

"Got any women there?" Merle asked with a sneer.

Daryl shook his head. He should've known that would be about the only thing Merle would be interested in.

Ed took a puff of his cigarette. "Yeah man, got a few. Some of em look real nice too."

Daryl knew immediately that this man was probably as bad as Merle. He would have gotten offended otherwise. He reminded him of one of Merle's old no good drinking buddies.

Merle laughed.

Daryl figured that Merle's question was just a test to see what this man was really like. With the way Merle's body relaxed after Ed's answer, Daryl was pretty sure the man had passed. Daryl let his eyes wander back toward Merle's tent. Ed was seriously putting a damper on his plans to help Layna escape.

"Why? You looking for yourself a woman?" Ed asked

"Well, I got one right now but I might be lookin for another one later."

Merle's answer caught Ed's attention. "Oh ya do?"

Daryl cringed at the mention of Layna.

"I tell ya what," Merle began, "I'll go get her and Daryl you grab a can of something we can cook up. I'm starving."

Daryl froze. Merle had never struck him as the type to share women.

"Merle," Daryl began, "Are you sure.." but Merle pointed back at Daryl's tent.

"Just get a fuckin can of beans and get back over here."

* * *

Layna heard Merle say he was coming to get her and she panicked, backing away from the tent flap. What was he going to do when he realized she was untied and dressed? Merle's head appeared in the flap and he glared at her.

"How'd you get untied?" He reached for her and she jerked away.

"I'm just trying to fuckin help you! Get your ass out here and get something to eat!" he yelled, reaching in and grabbing her arm. He pulled her out of the tent with his vice like grip and pushed her toward the campfire.

"Roughed her up didn't ya?" the new man's voice made her stop in her tracks. He was standing close by the fire smoking a cigarette. She scanned the dark campsite. 'Where the hell was Daryl?'

"I did what I had too." Merle muttered.

Daryl emerged from his tent with a can and pan in hand, his eyes meeting hers. "Now I wouldn't run if I were you, angel eyes," Merle began. Layna turned to look at him. "You don't have any shoes or a light. Oh and if you run I won't waste my time running after you again." He leaned closer toward her and grabbed her face with his calloused hand. " I'll just take my shotgun and blow out your kneecaps the next time you run," he growled in her ear. "Then I'll leave you for the walkers."

Layna grimaced.

"Now go say hello to our guest." He pushed her away from his body and toward the stranger.

The man smiled at her.

"I bet she's pretty when she ain't all bruised up."

"Yep." Merle said as he took the can and pan from Daryl.

Layna felt her stomach rumble. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten, or drank anything.

Layna ate her baked beans in silence, listening to the sick jokes the new man named Ed told with Merle. They acted as if they were old friends. Daryl stayed silent too, looking up from time to time and catching her eye. The two men's conversation drifted from women, sex, racism, and was now on drugs.

"I'm runnin kinda low," Merle said sadly.

"On what?" Ed asked.

"Everything. I'm even on my last pack of cigarettes."

"I'm runnin low too, but the group makes a lot of runs to the city to get supplies."

"Ya'll go into that death trap?" Daryl butted in

"Not me, but they got a little Asian kid they send most of the time. Says he knows his way around."

"A chink?" Merle snickered. "Your group must be pretty bad if ya'll have to rely on a chink to get supplies."

"Yeah, and that cop sits on his ass the whole time," Ed added in.

"Hey Daryl, maybe we should drop in and pay this group and visit. What do ya say?" Merle asked.

"And what are you gonna tell that cop when he asks about your little girlfriend here?" Ed asked, shooting a glance her way.

Merle shrugged. "I'll tell him to mind his own damn business."

"Yeah Merle and I'm sure that'll go over real nice," Ed muttered as he climbed to his feet.

"What's he gonna do? Arrest me?" Merle laughed as he climbed to his feet. "I'm bein serious though. Tell that cop that you met a couple of nice people in the woods and we're gonna pay him a visit. Alright?"

Layna hoped Merle was being serious. There was no way a cop would let this man continue to hurt her.

"Are you sure man? There's some aggravating assholes back at camp." Ed started but Merle cut in.

"Yeah I'm sure. I ain't doin it to make no new friends. I'm doin it to get some more pills and cigarettes."

"Alright Merle, I'll tell him," Ed nodded. "Guess I'll see ya tomorrow then?"

"You betcha."

Ed turned and headed back for the woods, leaving Daryl, Layna, and Merle by the fire.

"Merle have you lost your fuckin mind?" Daryl raised his voice. "That cop is gonna shoot you down as soon as she tells on you."

Layna glared at Daryl. "How can you keep taking up for him?" she hissed. She could feel her blood boiling.

"Whoa lil lady," Merle began. "He don't have to take up for me. But I don't have to worry about you telling on me either."

He reached down and grabbed her arm again, pulling her closer to him. "If you say anything at all, I'll kill you and whoever you told. Do you understand me? You'll be goin right down with me."

* * *

Daryl watched as Merle threatened Layna. He felt torn between this girl and his brother. He couldn't keep them both safe. Merle yanked her back up to her feet and grabbed her chin, kissing her hard. Daryl frowned as she threw her hands into his chest, trying to push him away. He grabbed her hands with his other hand and pulled her closer to his body.

"Merle!" Daryl yelled. "We still gotta talk about this group thing."

Merle pulled away from Layna, leaving her gasping for air. He then reached into his back pocket and pulled out some more black rope. He jerked her arms behind her back and tied the rope around her hands once again, but this time she didn't struggle. "Sit down." he ordered her. Daryl watched as she lowered herself back onto the ground.

* * *

A loud clatter woke Layna. She jerked up, suddenly remembering her arms were tied behind her back again and that she'd slept on the hard ground outside the brothers' tents. The sun was just rising over the tree line and Merle and Daryl were packing all of their things into a pickup that was now parked a few feet away. She sat up in a sitting position, looking around. The fire had been doused and both tents were already packed into the truck. Merle was headed toward his motorcycle when he looked her way. "I was beginning to think you'd died."

"I guess I couldn't have been that lucky," she snapped back at him.

He climbed onto the motorcycle, having to reach extra far for the extended handlebars and rode it to the pickup. Daryl walked over and helped him load it in the truck bed.

"C'mon," Merle said motioning to her "Get in the truck."

Layna scrambled awkwardly to her feet and headed for the truck. Daryl climbed in the passenger's side and Merle waited for her on the driver's side. He picked her up and shoved her into the middle. She wiggled, trying to find a comfortable way to sit with her hands behind her back. Merle climbed in and started the truck. Layna was now stuck right in between two sweating men. There was no way she could lean that her arm wasn't brushing against Daryl's or Merle's.

"So angel eyes, like I said, you keep your trap shut and we won't have any problems."

"If you don't say anything," Daryl interrupted, then he promised he won't hurt you anymore. Okay?"

Layna glared back at Daryl. "Why do you even care what happens to him? It's not like he treats you or anyone else right!"

"Hey!" Merle raise his voice. "You shut up you stupid cunt. You can't turn him against his own flesh and blood."

Layna stopped herself. Never in her little sheltered life had she been called such horrendous names. She kept quiet the rest of the ride. They had pulled out of the little campsite and onto a dirt road she hadn't even seen. They turned down another one and toward what Merle called the quarry. Merle stopped the truck as an RV and a few other vehicles came into view. He reached behind her and fumbled with the rope.

"Daryl cut this fuckin rope,"

Daryl pulled his knife out of his boot and sliced through the rope, tossing it out the open window.

"Alright, remember what I said." Merle said pointing his finger at her. "If they ask what happened to you tell them…." He paused, obviously thinking. "Tell them that we found you and were taking care of you and when we were out hunting the other day, looters came. They attacked you and we killed the bastards, alright?"

Layna nodded. She figured that agreeing would be the fastest way to get out of this truck. Merle pulled further into the camp, stopping behind the parked RV. Layna could see men, women, and children walking around. Tents were set up and Clothes were hanging out on lines.

"Sure is crowded ain't it," Daryl complained.

Layna scanned through the large campsite and gasped out loud. "Oh my God," she murmured. "That's my sister."

"What!" Daryl and Merle both yelled at the same time, craning their necks to look in the direction her eyes were focused.

_Author's Note: My computer has been acting up so if i stop updating that will be the reason. Hopefully it won't stop me from updating but if it does then i'm truly sorry. Anyway, what did you guys think about this chapter? How do you think the story is going so far? Thanks for reading!_


	5. Chapter 5

Daryl's heart nearly leapt out of his chest. He scanned the many faces, trying to figure out who Layna could be talking about. If her sister was here then she probably had a whole family here, he thought to himself.

"Who is it?" Merle asked desperately.

"You won't hurt her will you?" Layna asked nervously, leaning farther away from Merle and cowering closer to Daryl.

"If you stick to the fuckin plan I won't have too!"

Merle's answer didn't seem good enough for her. She began crying.

"Well c'mon girl. Go, they're waitin. You gotta introduce us." Merle opened his door and climbed out, looking strangely excited. Daryl couldn't believe that Merle was gonna be this stupid. Of course she was gonna tell on him. He followed Merle's lead and opened his door, getting out. Layna started to crawl out after him, but she stopped as she caught a glance of her reflection in the rearview mirror. Daryl watched as she gingerly touched a bruise on the side of her face. She looked pretty rough. He wondered if her sister would even recognize her. She didn't look like the same clean and pretty girl she was when she stumbled into their camp a day ago. Dark circles were forming under her watery, dark blue eyes. She wiped her tears and turned back, locking eyes with him. He looked away, hating that she'd seen him looking at her so closely. He began staring back at the little groups of people who had stopped what they were doing and were now all watching them. There were a few women hanging clothes by the RV. He studied their faces trying to decide which one could be her sister.

"Oh my God! Layna?"

A tall, thin brunette stepped away from the group, dropping the basket of clothes she'd been holding.

"Lori!" Layna shrieked, breaking into a run.

The way they jumped into each other's arms reminded him of one of those stupid movies. It almost looked rehearsed. Lori glared at him over Layna's shoulder as she clutched the girl close to her chest. The older woman pulled away from Layna, looking into her face and then staring wide eyed back at him first and then Merle.

"Merle, you just sealed your fuckin fate. Probably mine too." Daryl muttered.

"She ain't gonna talk. I'll make sure of that." Merle said as he slammed his door shut. "Let's go see who we're up against lil brother."

* * *

Layna cried into her sister's shoulder. "Oh my God I though I'd never see you again," she gasped in between sobs.

"Where've you been? Are you hurt?" Lori cried, pulling her away to look at her.

"No, I mean, I don't think.."

"Aunt Layna?" a small voice interrupted her.

She looked around and saw Carl running towards her.

"Oh Carl!" she bent down and pulled him into a hug.

"Where's Rick…and Mom and Dad, are they okay too?" Layna looked up from her nephew and back at her sister's tear stained face.

Lori shook her head and Layna's heart sank.

She could feel the tears beginning to pour down her cheeks again.

"Who are they Aunt Layna?" Carl looked worriedly into her eyes and then back in the two brothers' direction.

Layna stopped. She wasn't even sure what she should say.

"They um.." she began but was interrupted by Merle's voice.

"Ain't you gonna introduce us to yer family?" He was walking their way with Daryl walking slightly slower at his heels.

"Um.." she stood up, turning back to face them. "This is… Merle and Daryl."

"You've been with them this whole time?" Lori asked giving her an appalled look.

Layna nodded, looking back into her sister's eyes. She knew she was going to have a hard time making her sister think that these men had saved her. She tore her eyes away from her sister's. Lori always seemed to know when Layna wasn't telling her something. She looked around the camp and into the crowd of people that had stopped what they were doing and were now watching the drama unfold before them.

* * *

Daryl stood before Layna and her family, unsure of what to do. Her sister seemed suspicious right off the bat. She had reason to be though. Who would think all was normal if their younger sister appeared out of the blue all beat up with a strange pair of men?

"Lori who the hell are these people?" A man came bursting out of the crowd and froze as he caught sight of Layna. The cap on the man's head let Daryl know that this must have been the cop Ed had talked about.

"Shane." Layna smiled.

"What the hell happened to you?" the man asked taking his eyes away from her and on to him and Merle.

"Uh, well I.." Layna stuttered again.

Daryl could see by the look on Merle's face that he didn't like her performance.

"Ed told us about your group," Daryl decided to cut in.

"Oh he did?"

"Where is Ed?" Merle asked.

"Ed, get your ass out here and tell me what's goin on here," the cop yelled, looking back toward the group of parked cars.

Ed emerged from behind them, cigarette in his mouth, and took his time walking over.

He nodded at Merle and stepped up beside the cop. "I told you I met a couple of guys who were lookin for a group."

"Are you okay Layna?" The cop turned his attention back to the teenage girl caught in the middle. "Did they hurt you?"

Daryl saw her look up at Merle before answering.

"No, I'm okay. As okay as you can be during a time like this I guess."

* * *

"Layna! I'm not going to let you shut me out!"

"Lori! I told you what happened. That's it. They helped me okay?" Layna sat back against a few pillows in her sister's tent. Her head was beginning to throb again.

Lori glared at her. "I find it a little hard to believe that those men are good Samaritans, Layna."

"Well you don't know them, do you? Besides, Shane is letting them stay. You know he wouldn't if he thought they were dangerous."

"I was so scared when I couldn't find you. And then Rick, I just didn't know what to do. Shane said the hospital got overrun and.." she paused when a sob choked her. "I was already too late for Mom and Dad. I was afraid I was for you too."

Layna pulled her into a hug. "It's okay, I'm here now."

Lori pulled away and wiped her face. "You can wash off down at the water. We have some buckets and rags out there but you don't have to totally undress out there. I know there's a lot of strangers. I'd just wash off if I were you and then you can come back and change here in the tent."

Lori pulled a pair of shorts and t-shirt out of a bag and laid them in front of her. "Here, I packed some of your clothes, and I think I have some shoes."

"Okay," Layna nodded.

"We'll talk later, when you're rested." Lori said softly.

There went her sister being protective again. If only Lori really knew the hell she'd already been through, Layna though sadly.

Lori stepped out of the tent, leaving Layna time to herself. She looked around the small tent. She recognized Lori's blankets, pillows, and a few other keepsakes. A photo album was laying in the corner. She reached over amd grabbed it. Flipping through it, she noticed the first picture was of Rick, Lori and Carl. She sighed. She couldn't believe that Rick didn't make it. She always had a hope that he would pull out of a coma, but he didn't. Not in time anyway. The next picture was of Lori on her wedding day with their parents. A tear slipped out of her eye. She hadn't even asked Lori what exactly happened to them. It was probably best though. She didn't think she could handle it right now. She continued flipping through until she saw a picture of Shane, her, Lori, and Rick. Shane was always at Lori's house, hanging out with her and Rick, she remembered. He even played with Carl. Layna couldn't help but be thankful for him. At least Carl had him now.

'Maybe I should tell him the truth,' she though out loud. But then again, what if Merle hurt Shane? Or worse, what if he killed him like he said?

She threw the album back in the corner. She couldn't let Carl lose someone else. Not because of her.

* * *

_Author's Note: Well the good news is my computer is still kickin' Lol. So Layna and Lori are sisters. I've never seen a fanfic that explores the idea of Lori having any more family so i decided to give it a shot. I also thought I could see Lori as being a nosy and overprotective older sister. You guys let me know if you would like me to hold off on uploading and make a few longer chapters or keep with the shorter ones. I'm writing as i go now so it's coming out a little at a time. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review._


	6. Chapter 6

Daryl hopped into the old pickup Merle had found a few days ago, abandoned on the highway, and rode over to the spot Merle had claimed for them to set their camp. He didn't like this group shit one bit.

'At least we're setting up away from everyone else,' he grumbled to himself.

He still couldn't shake away the nagging feeling that Layna wouldn't stay quiet.

'Could he blame her?'

She was probably even more uncomfortable than he was in this group setting with her attacker still hanging around. Daryl pulled up close to where Merle was standing and climbed out of the truck.

"So what's the plan Merle? What are we doing here?"

"We're surviving. That's all." Merle replied grumpily.

"Well I think we need to go survive somewhere else." Daryl hissed, trying to keep his voice low. "She's related to that fuckin cop, Merle! How long do you think it's gonna be before every last person in this hell hole knows what you did? Huh?"

"They aren't related." Ed's voice suddenly made him whirl around.

"That ain't her sister's husband if that's what you're thinkin. Her husband's dead."

"Well she's lookin mighty cozy with that cop." Merle replied.

"Exactly!" Daryl hissed. "Layna still obviously knows him."

"Daryl, she ain't gonna talk. Quit bein such a damn pussy." Merle turned away from him and back toward Ed.

"Merle, I been thinking. Me and you need to go on their next supply run. I hear there's a pharmacy not too far from where they've been gatherin supplies." Ed said.

Merle nodded. "Yeah man that sounds good. The sooner we get the drugs the less time we gotta hang around these losers."

Daryl sighed. He was relieved that Layna was seemingly taking the back burner to Merle's drug addiction.

* * *

Layna stepped out of Lori's tent and looked around. Lori had tried to introduce her to a few people when she'd first arrived but now she couldn't even remember a single name. She glanced on top of the RV, meeting the older man's gaze. He waved and she waved back shyly. He had seemed nice. '

What was his name? Dave? Or Dale? Somethin like that.'

She let her eyes drift back behind the RV to the spot where the brothers' pickup had been parked. It was gone.

'Had they left?'

Her eyes scanned around the large campsite and stopped on that dreaded truck. It was now parked way off by the woods. She could see Daryl, Merle, and Ed standing close by it. If she wanted to get to the water she was going to have to walk right by them. She let out a shaky breath. When was this nightmare going to end?

She quickly turned back to Lori's tent, deciding against going to wash off and ran right into a young blonde girl, knocking a bucket out of her hands.

"Whoa!" the blonde laughed as she stooped down to pick up the bucket.

"I'm so sorry!" Layna began "I wasn't watching where I was going. My bad."

"It's okay, you're Layna right?" the blond asked as she stood back up. "I'm Amy. I'm Andrea's sister. I think Lori said she introduced you to her earlier."

"Oh yeah," Layna actually remembered Andrea. She'd been with the old man in his RV when she met him.

"I didn't know Lori had a sister." she continued. "Do you have clean clothes? I can show you to the water and all of our soap and stuff."

"Uh," Layna paused. "Well, okay."

She knew she must look awful if a complete stranger wanted to show her where to get clean.

'Maybe it wouldn't be so bad walking past them with Amy at her side.' she thought to herself.

"I'll go grab you a towel and rag out of the RV, be right back." Amy said as she turned and happily skipped over to the RV, stopping to say something to a older lady with short gray hair. Layna watched as the woman smiled and then continued hanging clothes. She glanced back over to the brother's secluded campsite. Merle and Daryl were now pitching their tents, and she didn't see Ed anywhere.

"Here ya go." Amy said cheerily as she pulled Layna away from her thoughts.

Layna took the towel and rag, "Thanks."

She saw Amy looking in Merle and Daryl's direction. "They aren't very social are they?" she asked as she motioned for Layna to follow her in the direction of the water.

"No, not really."

* * *

Daryl was kneeling down to push the last stake of his tent in the ground when he heard Merle's voice.

"You settlin in okay angel eyes?"

Daryl stood back up just in time to see Layna walking with a blonde gir,l headed their way. Layna's head was down and she was clutching a towel against her chest, but the blonde girl was eyeing them suspiciously.

Layna nodded her head, still looking down as she walked.

"What's your name blondie?" Merle asked as he stepped into the path of the approaching girls.

"Merle." Daryl interrupted sternly, trying to get his attention.

"I'm Amy," the blonde replied, not backing down from Merle's stare.

"Ya'll goin to…wash up or somethin?" he asked, grinning.

Amy's face twisted into a frown. "What's it to you?"

"It's dangerous, bein alone and unprotected." he said flirtingly. "You girls need a body guard?"

"No Merle. We don't." Layna snapped, pulling Amy faster in the direction of the water.

Merle whistled as they walked off, definitely faster than they'd come.

Daryl glared at Merle. He knew Merle would get a lot worse if he didn't get his drugs soon.

* * *

"I can't believe you stayed with them." Amy whispered to Layna as they neared the water's edge. "Is that who bruised you up?"

"No!" Layna hissed back. "It was someone else."

Amy looked at her as if she didn't believe her, like everyone else did too.

"Well, yell if you need anything okay? I've got to go finish helping Carol with laundry."

Layna nodded and watched as Amy turned and walked back toward camp, passing the brothers' watchful eyes. Merle got up and walked in the direction Amy had gone. Layna froze. He wasn't going to hurt her too was he? She stared after him until he stopped at a car and leaned in talking to Ed who was sitting on the hood.

"I'm just overreacting." she murmured to herself aloud.

She dipped her toes into the water's edge. It was cool and she knew it would feel good on her sore muscles. She stole a glance back toward camp. She was pretty sure the tall bushes around the water would keep her hidden, but she was still reluctant about undressing. Before slipping in the deeper water, she picked one of the many shampoo bottles scattered close to the edge. She picked the only one that looked like it would smell good.

"Fresh Mountain strawberries." she said as she read the label.

That sounded good to her. She lowered herself into the water and ducked under, combing her fingers through her long tangled hair underwater. Popping back out of the water, she grabbed the shampoo bottle before it floated away and squeezed some into her hands. Trying to wash while still dressed in a pair of jeans and a tank top was a lot harder than she thought. She pulled her jeans off under the water and tossed the now heavy material onto the bank.

* * *

Daryl watched as Merle stalked off to find Ed. He looked back toward the water. The bushes blocked most of his view. His brother was right when he said it was dangerous for her to be alone, even if it was just Merle's poor excuse to be there when she was bathing. If he listened closely he could hear soft splashing coming from the water.

His mind began to wander back to her. He still felt bad for not sticking up for her in front of his brother.

'She probably thinks I'm ma brother's bitch,' he thought angrily. 'That or she thinks I'm just as bad as he is.'

He pulled his crossbow out of the truck and headed quietly toward the water.

'I ain't peekin,' he reassured himself. 'Just makin sure she's safe.'

He peeked around a bush and didn't see her in the water. She popped up out of the water almost immediately as if she sensed him there. He fought the urge to duck, knowing that there was no way she'd sensed him. He noticed she'd gotten in with her tank top on.

'Smart girl ,' he thought to himself. But even the tank top couldn't hide her nice figure. The wet material stuck to her tightly, showing off her thin but beautiful figure. It had stretched down a little and he could see the top of her white bra and small breasts sticking out of the top as she began to wring out her long wet hair. He swallowed hard when he saw her jeans on the bank. He decided it was probably best if he left. As much as he wanted to be there when she had to get out and get those jeans, he knew it wasn't right. He turned and snuck back toward the truck.

Layna climbed out of the water, dropping the bar of soap and shampoo bottle back on the bank. Being clean helped ease her stressed mind. She wrapped the towel around her waist and picked up her jeans, wringing them out as she did. Sticks breaking caused her to suddenly glance around nervously.

'It's Merle!' her mind screamed at her.

She scanned the edge of the woods, desperately praying that it wasn't him coming back to hurt her again.

"Is..is anyone there?" The cracking became louder and she looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. She reached down and almost picked up a large rock about the same time a creature stumbled from the bushes. It saw her right away, snapping it's teeth as its lifeless eyes met hers.

"Oh my God! Help!" she screamed as she stumbled backwards toward the water.

"Help!"

She slipped on the slippery rocks, falling back into the water, towel still wrapped around her waist. The creature stumbled after her. It looked like it had once been a woman. It had wild and tangled long black hair, and was wearing a torn dress. It's long rotting fingers reached for her as she tried to scoot farther into the water.

* * *

Daryl had just gotten back to the truck when he heard her screams. He darted back toward the water. Bursting through the bushes, he saw Layna laying in the edge of the water and a walker reaching for her. He loaded his crossbow, took aim and let the arrow fly through the walkers head. It fell, nearly landing in the water beside her. She looked his way with wide eyes and a terrified expression.

"Did it bite you?" he could hear the panic in his own voice, as he ran to her.

"Nnnnoo." she stammered.

He held out his hand and she grasped it with hers, letting him pull her up and out of the water. The wet towel fell from around her waist, landing back in the water with a loud splat but she didn't seem to notice.

"Are you sure you're okay?' She looked dazed.

"Yeah, thank..thank you." she stammered. "That creature just came out of nowhere, and I..I didn't see it coming."

"Creature?" He asked. "Just call it a walker. Makes things easier."

"A walker?" she asked looking back up at him with those same scared eyes he'd seen the first day when Merle had led her into their camp.

He forced a nervous laugh. "Yeah, a walker."

With the dirt washed off her face, the bruises had become more noticeable, so had the ones on her arms shaped like finger marks. He forced his eyes away from her and back toward camp. People were beginning to arrive and a few of the men had brought guns. They all seemed to stop and stare as they saw Layna and him standing by the walker. He glanced back at her. She was in her underwear just standing with her mouth agape, staring at the dead walker on the ground. He reached in the water and picked up her towel, wringing it out and handing it to her.

"Here, you may wanna put this back on."

_Author's Note: Please keep reviewing so i know what you guys think! Thanks for reading!_


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: Pleeeaasssee review? Sorry for the lack of interesting action in the past chapter or so. I don't want to bore you guys. The most important element in the story (Layna and Daryl) will begin soon. I will also begin to tweak the storyline and change it a little from the show._

* * *

"I just don't get it, Layna! You know that these walkers are everywhere, but you still go off by yourself?"

Layna shrugged, looking down away from Shane's harsh glare. He was always overly protective, but usually helpful. She remembered when he had taken care of a few of her speeding tickets because she didn't want her sister or Rick to know.

"Your sister thought you were dead up until today. She's already had to deal with losing Rick. Don't put her through the grief of losing someone else."

"I just needed time to think, Shane."

"Too much thinking will get you killed." He butted in.

"Yeah so will not thinking enough." She shot back, raising her voice. "I don't need to hear this from you right now!"

She turned away from him, leaving him standing by the water's edge. All of the action was causing her head to hurt again. She stooped to pick up her jeans and headed back into the direction of camp. She needed to change out of her wet clothes but she really didn't want to have to face Lori again. Lori would act just like Shane, treating her like a child. She passed by the little desolate campsite, once again. Daryl was sitting on the tailgate of the truck, messing with something on his crossbow. He looked up at the sound of her footsteps but glanced back down.

Why did the fact that he'd just saved her make her even more uncomfortable around him? It would be her luck that he would want some kind of repayment for the trouble, she thought angrily to herself.

* * *

Daryl heard her coming so he began awkwardly fiddling with his crossbow, trying to pretend like he hadn't been eavesdropping on her and the cop's heated conversation. She glanced at him before looking back down and hurrying off. Why was she always watching him like he was gonna swoop in and attack her or something? She had to know he wasn't like Merle. He had a hard time imagining Merle running in and risking his neck to save her.

He looked up again at the sound of heavier footsteps. Shane was head his way, looking pissed.

"Daryl right?"

"Yeah, what do ya want?" Daryl asked gruffly, trying to sound uninterested.

"Just wonderin how you and your brother plan on pulling your weight around here."

Ed was right, this cop was a total jackass, Daryl thought angrily as he tried to bite his tongue.

"We ain't stickin around fer long." Daryl grumbled, standing up and heading to the woods and throwing the crossbow over his shoulder.

* * *

Layna trudged back to Lori's tent, trying to ignore the stares she got from everyone as she passed. She hated people feeling sorry for her.

'First I show up looking beat up and now I have to be rescued from a stupid walker? Everyone must be thinking I'm helpless,' she thought angrily to herself.

She climbed into Lori's tent, thanking God that she wasn't in there waiting to give her another lecture. Lori had laid out a pair of denim shorts, underwear, a bra, and a school t-shirt. She picked up the shorts, remembering how her parents had tried to get her to return them because they'd thought they were too short. They were a light denim and had pink and reddish colored flowers on them. Aeropostale had an over abundance of cute floral patterns last summer, she remembered. The T-shirt was from a club at school she'd been active in. It was gray with lime green lettering on the back that read 'Proud Member of the High School Geek Squad'. She hurriedly stripped down and dressed into the dry clothes.

* * *

Daryl listened carefully as he crept through the woods. He hadn't seen a sign of anything, not even a squirrel and he was getting discouraged. He finally decided to venture back into the campsite, laying the crossbow inside the truck as he did. Merle was nowhere to be seen, and so was Merle's knapsack. He figured his brother was off getting high off the rest of his pain pills with Ed. Daryl let his eyes wander toward the water. A few women were washing clothes, he recognized the blonde named Amy. The rest of the campers were busy too. The old man that owned the RV had his head inside the front, handing tools back and forth to another man with a scruffy black beard. The cop was sitting by the burnt out embers of the campfire beside Lori, seemingly in a deep conversation. Everyone else was running around doing little odd jobs. Daryl hated feeling awkward and this definitely made him feel that way. Everyone else knew everyone and had something to keep them busy, and here he was sitting like a knot on a log.

"Hey," a small voice interrupted Daryl's thoughts. He turned around and saw Lori's boy standing a few feet away.

"Thanks for bringing my aunt back and saving her from that geek."

Daryl looked at the boy, not knowing how to respond.

"Don't you have a job yer supposed to be doin or something?" Daryl asked angrily.

"Well, not really, but I'm gonna protect my Mom and Aunt Layna and make sure one of them geeks don't hurt them."

Daryl looked at the small boy with such big intentions."And just how do you plan on doin that?"

"With this," Carl said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pocket knife. "Shane gave it to me."

"Carl!" Lori's voice cut through the air. "Come here."

Carl put the knife back into his pocket. "Don't tell her, okay? She doesn't know I have it," he whispered nervously.

"I ain't gonna tell on you kid," Daryl muttered. "Just go on."

He watched as Carl hurried back over to his Mom and Shane, his hand still on the pocket he'd hid his knife in. Lori pulled him close, saying something to him. Daryl let his gaze shift back toward the tents. As if on cue, Layna's head popped out of one and she climbed out. She was dry now and in new clothes. Her wet hair was hanging over one shoulder. He watched as she walked over and sat down in a lawn chair beside her sister.

* * *

"Alright everybody, come over and get something to eat, I think we've got enough for everybody today at least." Shane said as he hoisted a large tote bag onto the tailgate of a truck. Layna held back, waiting to see how this worked.

"You can light a fire for anything that needs to be cooked, just keep it low." he said as he walked away. Layna watched as everyone went to the bag and pulled out a can of food or another nonperishable food item.

"You better go get something before there's nothing else," Lori chided in as she walked passed her.

Layna was about to get in line when she saw Merle and Ed coming from the woods. They fell right into the line, so she decided she would wait. She sat back into the raggedy lawn chair to wait until the coast was clear. Dale came and plopped down beside her in another chair.

"You're not hungry?" he asked as he opened a can of Vienna sausages.

"A little, but I'll go get something in a little while."

"All the good stuff will be taken," he said with a smile.

"Oh there was something good there to begin with?" She said with a laugh.

"Vienna sausages are about as good as it gets." Carl said as he said down on the ground beside her. "And they're already gone."

Layna saw Merle head back to his secluded camp and Ed went and sat beside the older lady with short gray hair. She watched as he interacted with her. She acted strange, almost nervous around him.

"Don't tell me you've noticed it too?" Dale whispered as he leaned close to her.

She looked back at him. "What do you mean?"

"I just don't think he treats Carol right."

"That's his wife?" she asked surprisingly.

Dale nodded, "Yeah and Sophia is their daughter."

Layna couldn't believe that Ed had a wife and daughter. He didn't seem like the world's greatest family man. She could feel his eyes watching her as she walked to the truck. She peered into the bag and groaned. They were all right, there was a few cans of soup left and a jar of peanut butter. She thought about just taking the peanut butter but decided against it when she noticed that there was a granola bar left. She grabbed it and then walked over and grabbed a water bottle. She returned to the group around the fire and sat back in her seat. Nibbling on the granola bar, she listened to the others' conversations.

"I think we need another run into town, Glen," Dale said to the young Asian boy.

"I'll go with him," everyone turned back to look at Ed, sitting at his own fire with Carol and Sophia beside him.

"I'm fine on my own, I get in and get out," Glen began but a raspy voice interrupted him.

"I'll go too. You can never have too much help." Merle said as he walked over, joining in on the conversation.

Shane looked back to an exasperated Glen. "Sounds like a good idea Glen, means we could get more supplies back here."

"Me and Morales will go too," the black man who's name she learned was T-Dog said.

"And I can go and pick up clothes and things for the ladies," Andrea piped in.

"You can't go alone," Jaques interrupted. "I'll go too."

Layna sat back quietly, she hoped that Merle and Ed didn't cause problems for Glen and the others. Too bad they didn't know that the two were only after drugs.

"It's settled then," Shane said, "In the morning Merle, Ed, Glen, T-Dog, Morales, Jaques, and Andrea, ya'll will head into town. Just watch each other's backs."

* * *

Layna went to bed early, retreating to Lori and Carl's tent while all of the others were still around the campfire planning for the dangerous trek to the city. She scanned the area for Merle or Daryl before going inside. She was still worried that Merle wouldn't keep his side of the deal. The night before seemed like it should have been just a bad dream. She never thought she would be someone's victim.

What was she supposed to do now? Just pretend it didn't happen and forget about it? No, she knew she wouldn't be able to just forget about it. She wanted so desperately to tell someone what Merle was and how evil he was, but would she really be helping by causing more drama for this hurt group of people to deal with? She wiggled into one of Lori's sleeping bags and wiped her teary eyes. She would just have to get over it. Surviving was the main issue now.

_Author's Note: The next chapter will probably be published soon, considering i am home alone on the 4th of July and completely bored. Reviews would really help me get out of this depressing mood. _


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **

**Leyshla Gisel- Thank you for reviewing faithfully! And i'm glad i wasn't the only one home bored on the 4th of July. Haha**

**Emberka-2012- Thank you for reviewing faithfully also! You are exactly right. I mean who wouldn't be leary of Daryl after what happened with Merle? I know i would be nervous around both of them. I definitely wouldn't know what else to expect from Merle.**

* * *

_His mouth pressed hard against hers and his tongue invaded her mouth. His knees pressed hard into her thighs, as his rough hands trailed down her bare stomach. She tried to scream as he pulled away from her but his hands violently gripped her shoulders and began shaking her until she thought her neck might break._

* * *

A scream awoke Daryl with a start. He leapt out of the tent and into the early morning air, pulling his hunting knife out of his boot. The sun was just beginning to come out. He expected the campsite to be crawling with walkers and people being attacked but there was nothing there. A few others climbed out of their tent, looking frazzled.

Layna suddenly crossed his mind. Where the fuck was Merle?

"Merle!" He yelled as he burst through Merle's tent and met him face to face.

"What the hell is goin on?" Merle bellowed.

* * *

"Layna, wake up! "It's just a dream!"

Layna's eyes flew open and met Lori's. Lori was shaking her shoulders.

"You've got to calm down, I think you woke everyone up!" Lori cried. Layna sat up looking around.

"It wasn't him," she murmured.

"It wasn't who Layna?" "Carl, go tell everyone that it's okay, and that no one is hurt, please." Lori pleaded. Carl nodded and ducked out of the tent.

* * *

"Somebody's screaming their head off. I don't know what's going on," Daryl sputtered as Merle stumbled past him out of his tent. "It's okay, everybody." Carl yelled as he waved his arms. "Nobody is hurt."

Shane ran past Carl and to the tent Daryl recognized as the one Layna had climbed out of yesterday. He came back out within a few seconds, taking off his cap and scratching his head.

"Hey cop!" Merle spat out angrily. "What the hell is goin on here?"

Shane turned and glared back in their direction before walking over.

"She had a damn nightmare, Merle, that's all."

"Who did?"

"Layna," he said solemnly.

"She screamed that loud because of a fuckin nightmare?" Merle muttered. "I thought everybody was being slaughtered."

Shane turned away from them to talk to Dale and some of the other men.

"I reckon we should've known it was her, we heard enough of her mouth already," Merle snapped.

* * *

Layna laid back on her sleeping bag. "Great, just great," she grumbled. "If everyone didn't think I was totally helpless and crazy yesterday, they sure as hell will think I am today." The nightmare had been so realistic. She couldn't recall ever having one so vivid.

She dreaded having to get up and face everyone's judging eyes but it was getting stuffy in the tent. After much debating, she finally climbed out and into the morning sunlight. Glen and the others that were planning on going out were packing supplies in a truck. She wandered over to the box of bottled water and frowned. There wasn't any left and her throat was extremely dry.

"I think I've got an extra bottle in the truck," a voice announced from behind her.

She whirled around to face Daryl.

"I'll run go get it if you want?"

She nodded. "Uh okay."

He turned and walked back in the direction of the truck. She swallowed hard, trying to regain her composure. When she looked back to him, he was headed back her way with a bottle in his hand."Here, Catch?" He held the bottle up.

She nodded and held out her hands.

He tossed it underhanded to her and she caught it. When she looked back up, he was already headed back toward his little camp.

* * *

Daryl watched as Glen, Andrea, Morales, Jaques, and T-Dog packed a truck full of supplies. Ed and Merle were lounging in lawn chairs not far away, just watching as everyone else worked. He was just ready for them to get back so Merle would have his drugs and they could leave. This group wasn't helping them any. If anything it was making them more vulnerable. He could only imagine what would happen if a horde of Walkers like the ones wandering the highway came through here. Hell, he hadn't seen anyone with a gun other than the old man on top of the RV and the self centered cop. Sure he had a knife and a crossbow but that still wouldn't be enough to stop a lot of them. He would just have to make sure him and his brother were outta here before that day came, he decided.

* * *

Layna stood beside Amy as she waved to her sister when they pulled out. She hadn't seen Merle exchange a single word with Daryl before leaving. It seems like they would have at least said goodbye, she thought to herself. Everyone knew that there was a possibility that the small group of scavengers wouldn't return. She definitely wouldn't care if Merle or Ed didn't come back but she would hate to see any of the others not make it. She pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind.

"I didn't want her to go," Amy said sadly.

"She'll be fine, she's got a lot of help and strong guys with her."

Amy smiled back at her, wiping a tear.

"We're gonna have to find something to do until they get back."

Layna smiled back, "Yeah, something productive so I don't feel so bad about causing so much trouble."

"We could go fishing. I've seen a lot of gear in the RV." Amy said excitedly.

* * *

Daryl came out of the woods with a few squirrels tied to his belt. He'd decided to go hunting, it's not like there was anything else to do and he knew that if Merle and them didn't get back they wouldn't have anything to eat. A few people looked his way as he dropped them by the RV.

"Wowww." Carl gasped. "I've never eaten squirrel before."

Dale stepped forward eyeing his catch."Ah, looks like we'll eat good tonight. Maybe you can pile what you killed with whatever the girls catch." He said happily, pointing to the water.

Daryl followed his gaze. Layna and Amy were in a canoe in the middle of the water. They both had a fishing pole in the water and were laughing.

He grunted. "They don't look like they're getting much fishin done."

"Well there was an awful lot of bragging, so I hope they come back with something." the older man said hopefully.

Daryl walked back over to his tent and laid his crossbow inside.

He let his gaze drift back to the girls in the canoe. Neither of them struck him as the type of girl who liked to fish.

He watched as Layna hurriedly began reeling and pulled a fish into the boat. She leaned down, pulling the hook out, he assumed and pulled out something else to stick on her hook. The sunlight was radiating off of her now wavy brown hair, making it look shiny. She was wearing that same tank top from yesterday again. He wasn't sure why he even noticed that.

* * *

"I can't believe we caught this many fish." Layna said as she climbed out of the canoe.

"I know! Let's go show em off." Amy giggled, lifting the stringer of fish over the side of the canoe and tossing them on to the bank.

Layna followed Amy as she carried them into camp. She couldn't help but think back to her parents. Her dad took her fishing all the time. Their fishing trips usually turned long heart to heart talks. She pushed the thoughts in the back of her mind, trying not to cry.

"Look what we got!" Amy announced proudly. "But I do have to say, Layna caught the most."

Layna smiled as everyone praised them.

Dale stepped forward, "We're gonna eat good tonight guys, Daryl caught some squirrels too."

He pointed to the far end of camp. Daryl was sitting on the ground obviously skinning the squirrels and putting things in two buckets.

"Go see if he'll skin these, please?" Amy said holding up the fish. "I don't like to skin em, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Layna took the fish before it even registered in her mind. Amy turned and headed to the RV.

"Wait-." Layna began but stopped when she realized there was no use. Lori looked at her, as if she'd felt the fear that ran through her veins.

Layna started walking in his direction, trying to act normal. She couldn't avoid him forever. It's not like he was the one who hurt her anyway. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He looked up from his kill as she neared him. She saw his eyes stop on the fish hanging by her side.

"Damn girl, how many is that?" he asked as he squinted up at her, using his bloodied hand to shield his eyes from the harsh sun.

"Uh," she looked down at them, "It's twelve or thirteen."

He tossed the bloody remains of his last squirrel into the gut bucket and stood up.

"I didn't see you as much of a fisherman."

"My dad took me a lot." she murmured as she laid the still flopping fish onto the grass. "We were wondering if you would skin them for us." she nervously blurted out.

She looked up at him, as he stared back at her.

"I ain't skinning your fish," he drawled. "If you can catch em, you can skin em. I ain't doin your dirty work for ya."

She froze. "I've never actually skinned one before though." she stammered.

* * *

Daryl stared back at Layna as she nearly choked on her words. She was too damn nervous or somethin.

"Well what'da ya do? Just throw em back?" he asked, raising his voice a little.

"No," she said looking back at the fish on the ground. "My dad usually does it, and I watch. I guess I could try, I mean I kind of know what to do."

"Nah," he interrupted her. "We can't have you screwing up our meat. God knows we need all we can get."

"Well what do you want me to do then?" she asked breathlessly, looking back up at him.

"I'm gonna fuckin show you how, so you'll know next time! Here," he held out his knife, "Take it."

She looked at it and swallowed hard before taking it from his hand.

He scowled back at her. She was probably scared of blood and guts, he thought to himself. Women these days were hopeless.

She bent down onto her knees and unhooked one of the bigger fish. He stood above her, watching as she tenderly lifted up it's fin and pressed the knife against its scales. She looked up at him, "This is right isn't it?"

He nodded and her eyes dropped back down to the fish. She dug the knife into it and turned it to slice down the back bone toward the tail. She held the head securely while she did.

He had to admit, he was impressed. She actually knew how to filet a fish, who woulda thought.

"Thought you didn't know what you were doin." he grumbled as he stooped down to observe her work.

"I told you I'd just never tried," she said as she continued.

He watched her face as she did. She didn't flinch or make a face. His eyes trailed down her small neck. From the angle he was sitting he could see faint purple marks, behind her hair. 'Merle's love bites,' he thought angrily to himself.

She suddenly looked up at him. "So I'm done with this one right?"

"Yeah," he tore his eyes away from her and took the meat she held out to him. She threw the guts into the gut bucket and reached for another. He watched her work on a few more fish, in silence.

"Why've you been actin so nervous?" he finally broke the silence.

"I'm not," she said defensively as she continued slicing into the fish.

"Merle's gone for now, and we won't be around much longer anyway. He ain't gonna hurt you again."

She still didn't look up.

He knew she'd been through hell, but she was just too damn quiet. He'd never had to be the one to initiate a conversation to break the silence with a girl like her before.

She stood up and held out his hunting knife. "Here, I'm going to wash off."

He took it, he hadn't even noticed she'd finished. She picked up the stringer and walked away. He watched as she left. She definitely acted strange around him. His mind began hatching a plan. He was going to get her to skin the next batch of squirrels he killed. That would really test her tolerance for blood and guts.

* * *

_Please review!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: Thanks so much for the positive feedback(: Like I've said before, this is my first try at writing a story. I know I'm not that great of a writer so I'm very happy that you guys decided to stick around. Hopefully my idea of where this story is going will keep you all entertained. _

_Oh and I'm taking a different approach toward Layna and Daryl's relationship. I don't want to just jump in, I mean she's 18 and he's wayyy older. I don't think an older guy would pursue an 18 year old in their circumstances (well unless you're Merle) so their relationship will be innocent at first. I'm basing her actions off of the way I would act. I'm not gonna lie and say he wouldn't intimidate me to begin with. So here goes._

* * *

Layna walked to the water to wash the blood and fishy smell off of her arms and hands. She groaned when she realized she'd gotten it on her shirt too.

"I can't believe I just skinned those fish," she said to herself. She knew if not for Daryl's intimidating presence behind her she wouldn't have. She was a complete bundle of nerves, trying to skin them with him watching over her shoulder. Something about him just got to her. Maybe it was the way he stared. He looked at her as if he could see right into her mind and knew all of her thoughts before she even said them.

She frowned. She never would have thought the social anxiety she thought she'd gotten rid of long ago would come back to bite her now. The walkers should be what she was worrying about. Not some redneck who intimidated her.

* * *

Daryl picked up the bucket of guts and laid them in the back of the truck. He wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to dump them out close by camp. If walkers were like any other animal, the smell would draw them in. He scooped up the bucket of fish and squirrel meat and headed toward the RV. He hoped that the women were good cooks because he was starving. As he handed off the bucket to Ed's wife, Carol, he caught a glimpse of Layna ducking into her tent. Why did he always find himself thinking about her? He figured it had to be his guilty conscience reminding himself what he'd let happen to her.

He remembered what Merle told him time and time again.

"Boy, Not everybody is capable of surviving in this kind of world." He would finish off by saying the weak get taken and that Dixon men were definitely not weak.

It was literally a man eat man world now. He wasn't really sure where girls like Layna fit into it. She seemed like one of those girls who would have had it all before it all went to shit. He could imagine her living in a fancy house with fancy clothes, having a boyfriend, tons of friends, and living the American dream. Living everything he hadn't. He'd let his teenage years fly by, not really enjoying any of it. But the awkwardness, nervousness, and loner attitude she was now showing reminded himself of him.

"Fuck." he mumbled under his breath. When had he started thinking so deep? He trudged back over to the truck and climbed in. He decided to drive up the highway and dump the guts in the edge of the woods somewhere, far away from camp.

* * *

Layna met Lori as she climbed out of the tent, now dressed back in her jeans and school t-shirt. She pulled her hair into a ponytail with a hair tie she'd found in Lori's bag.

"I saw you skinning those fish," Lori said with a smile.

"Yeah, well I just did how daddy always did." Layna replied sadly.

Layna watched as Lori's eyes drifted down her neck."What the hell?" Lori shrieked as she leaned in closer.

"Don't tell me you and Daryl?" Her older sister managed to choke out.

"What? No! what are you talking about?" Layna pulled her arm up to feel her neck, just as the realization hit her.

"It's not what you think." she stammered. She wished she had a mirror to see how bad it was.

"Well what is it Layna? Because it looks an awful like.."

"No that's not what it is!" Layna pulled away from her sister and ran. Tears were brimming in her eyes and a lump was forming in her throat. Why did she keep having to be reminded of what happened to her? Merle wasn't here but he'd left his mark on her in more ways than just a hickey. She ran back towards the grassy area that she and Daryl had skinned the animals in earlier. It was the only secluded and quiet place that didn't have people that would bother her. Thanks goodness Daryl wasn't there she thought to herself.

She let herself sink to her knees in the grass. The tears were streaming down her face now. Hell, she didn't care if a walker got her this time. That would probably be the best thing that could happen to her. What was she living for anymore? She could feel the depression that had plagued her almost her entire life returning. How many times had she sat in her bedroom and prayed for God to just kill her? What was the point of living if you weren't enjoying it?

* * *

Daryl pulled back into the campsite and parked the truck back in its place. He'd only seen two straggling walkers wandering the roads. Maybe that was a good sign, he told himself. He had hoped that by the time he had gotten back, maybe the group of scavengers would have too, but there was no sign of them. It was already getting late. Probably around 4 or 5 by his guess. He saw Carol and Amy beginning to cook the fish and squirrel. Carl and Carol's daughter Sophia were sitting close by them watching.

"Shit." he grumbled. He suddenly remembered he'd left his hunting knife where they'd skinned the animals earlier. He started walking past the tents and toward the grassy area outside of camp. He froze when he saw her. Layna was sitting in the grass all alone. At first, he was sure something must have happened to her. But she was sitting calmly, looking in the opposite direction of camp and out toward the outlines of the buildings in Atlanta, far in the distance.

He cleared his throat. He didn't wanna scare her. She was as skittish as a deer anyway.

She jerked her head around to face him and then back. He could see her wiping her face with her fingers. She must have been crying, he concluded.

"I forgot my knife," He muttered as he bent down and picked it up out of the grass. When he shifted his glance back over to her, she was pulling her hair out of the ponytail and letting it fall back over her neck and shoulders.

"So you're a geek?" he asked trying to lighten the mood.

"What?" she sniffled, turning her body to face him.

"That's what your shirt says. Geek squad right?"

"Oh yeah," she looked down at her shirt. "The name was more of a joke."

He watched her pull her hair more around her neck, as if she was trying to cover up the bruises.

"You of all people should know it ain't safe to be out here alone," he pressed.

"Yeah I know, but I don't really care anymore." she stood up and brushed past him.

"Hey!" he reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her.

He regretted it as soon as he did it. She jerked away from him as soon as he touched her. Her blue eyes widened and she looked like she was about to scream.

"Fuck girl, Calm down," he hissed.

"Well what do you want?" she demanded nervously.

"When you stop caring you're gonna get killed."

She stared back at him.

"You gotta be on your toes 24/7."

She looked at him uncertainly, Like she wasn't sure if she could leave or not.

"I'm not going to hurt you or anything. Good lord girl, I'm just trying to help you."

* * *

Layna stared back at Daryl. 'If he was trying to help me then why is he scaring the hell out of me?' she wondered to herself.

"I ain't my brother." he said softly.

"I..I know." she murmured back.

"Well ya sure don't act like it."

"Food will be ready soon." a voice called from behind her. Layna turned and saw Amy standing awkwardly. "Sorry I didn't mean to intrude or anything," Amy stuttered.

"No, it's fine," Layna said. She turned and walked away, not even looking back to see if Daryl was following. Her mind was racing. She just needed to calm down. "I'll go talk to him later," she promised herself. "After we eat."

* * *

_If all goes smoothly, next chapter will have more action in it. Please Review!_


	10. Chapter 10

_Author's Note: Maybe __**SaraLostInes **__is right, but the way I see it, it's a zombie apocalypse. There isn't really a set way everyone will act in a certain situation. People deal with things differently, and times like these change people. There is a lot of things to have to worry about at one time. I never said her struggle with dealing with her attack was over and that she'd be falling head over heels for Daryl right away. Her struggle is far from over. However, I did say I was up for any criticisms so I guess I should say thanks._

_****I also want to say a special thanks to the people who have favorited this story and those of you who give reviews. The reviews mean a lot to me. The storyline changes a good bit from the series now._

* * *

Layna sat as far away from Lori as she could while they ate. She knew her sister would just keep pressing her and she honestly didn't know what she was going to tell her. She knew that this would be the best time and probably the only chance she'd have.

'But what would anyone think of her if they knew the truth?' She worried they'd all think she was helpless and weak. She was anything but that. She'd dealt with her fair share of heart wrenching emotions in life already. The ones she was feeling now, just happened to be the worst she'd ever felt. Was living even worth it anymore? She'd asked herself that same question millions of times, but now it seemed to better fit the situation.

"They should be back by now." Amy's voice broke the awkward silence. "It'll be dark before too long and I know they weren't planning on staying the night in the city."

"They must've run into trouble," Jim said numbly.

"We need to go help them or check on them or something!" Amy cried desperately.

"And just how are we gonna do that?" Shane asked gruffly. "They coulda went anywhere. They volunteered anyway."

"Just because they volunteered doesn't mean they don't deserve help." Lori stated as she stared wide eyed back at Shane.

"We gotta protect ourselves, Lori! We can't go out on some wild goose chase after people we don't even know are alive!"

"That's my sister, you son of a bitch!" Amy shrieked as she jumped up from her chair, running to the RV.

Layna could tell the stress was building on Shane. She'd never seen him act like this before. He bit his bottom lip hard as he rubbed his chin. She was worried about Andrea and the others, but she really wasn't ready for them to come back. Facing Merle again was something she would never be ready for.

Layna finished her last piece of fish and laid her plate on the ground. She didn't dare leave from the small group of people. She knew as soon as she was alone Lori would target her once again, spewing out questions and demanding answers that she just wasn't ready to answer.

Coming to terms with what happened to her was hard enough without her older sister making a bigger deal out of it.

'I wonder what Daryl would do if I told?' she wondered to herself. Would he fulfill his brother's threats or be willing to put up a fight to protect Merle? She thought back to what he'd said a little earlier.

"I ain't my brother." "I'm only tryin to help you."

The last part was definitely hard to believe. If he wanted to help her he would have done it sooner. But this didn't explain his wishy washy attitude toward her.

The awkward silence fell on them again. The sun was beginning to settle behind the tall pine trees of the woods, letting the dark takes its place.

"I'm going to make sure Amy is okay." Dale said earnestly as he stood up and made his way to the RV. Before she knew it, the crowd around the campfire had thinned and only She and Carol remained. Layna studied Carol. The poor woman looked frail and nervous. She thought back to what Dale had said earlier. Ed wasn't treating her right.

"The fish was really good." Layna said, trying to break the silence. Carol smiled back at her. "Thank you. I tried my best. Cooking on a campfire is very different than my stove back home."

"I can imagine."

"Layna, I need to ask you something."

Layna stopped and looked back up at the older woman.

"I noticed that Ed seemed to know those men you came with."

Layna's heart fluttered in her chest as she waited anxiously to see what point Carol could be getting to.

Carol leaned in closer and lowered her voice to barely a whisper.

"Ed wasn't the one who hurt you was he?"

"No," Layna choked out. "He didn't touch me. Why would you think that?"

"I just…Lori told me you'd been attacked by some men or something. I just had to make sure."

"Lori told you?" she sputtered.

"Well it's obvious something happened to you, Layna. Was it the two Dixon brothers?"

"Did Lori ask you to find out what happened to me?" Layna snapped angrily.

"No, I'm just worried for your safety and everyone else's. If one of them hurt you, we need to know."

Layna felt torn. By not telling the group about Merle was she putting them in more danger?

The lump was returning in Layna's throat. She bit her bottom lip hard until the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

"You can trust me, Layna, it's obvious that you're hurting, but I can help you."

Layna stared back at her. Carol almost reminded her of her own mother.

"It's them isn't it? We should've noticed. You can't just let them keep threatening you or hurting you."

Layna could feel her emotions beginning to bubble over. She felt like spilling the whole story to her but something was holding her back once again.

"It wasn't them Carol, I've told everyone already," She cried as she jumped up from the raggedy lawn chair.

"Why don't you tell everyone what Ed does to you?" The cold words flew out of her mouth before she really thought about them. "Don't you think that puts everyone in danger too? What if he hurts someone else?"

The woman stared back, clearly astonished at Layna's change of attitude.

"How can you talk to me like I'm hurting the group when you're protecting your own abusive husband," Layna hissed, lowering her voice a little. Layna turned from the speechless woman and saw that Daryl was watching from the tailgate of his truck.

* * *

Daryl froze when her eyes met his. She'd just blew up on Ed's wife and now she was glaring at him. He let his gaze drop from her's when he saw that she was heading his way.

She stopped in front of him. "I think you're lying."

"What the hell are you talking about?" he muttered as he looked up at her.

"You said you were just trying to help me. But you're lying."

She spat out the words confidently but when he looked back at her, she backed down a little.

"And how do you figure that girl?"

"If you really wanted to help me you would have the first day."

"I've helped you a lot more than you think!" he could feel his temper flaring. "Why do you think Merle hasn't touched you since we been here? Huh?"

Layna flinched as he raised his voice.

"Cause I talked him out of it. That's why. I've been watchin out for you this whole fuckin time." He stood up, pointing his finger in her face. "You should stop acting like a spoiled bitch and be thankful that you're still alive."

Her eyes widened. He hadn't meant for the words to come out quite that cruel, but he wasn't just going to sit on his ass while she yelled and accused him.

"If it wasn't for me, that walker woulda got you yesterday."

Layna once again turned into the timid and awkward girl as she stood before him.

"But like I said, as soon as Merle gets his ass back, we're gone."

He waited for Layna to say something. He wasn't quite sure if she was going to cry or scream at him like she'd done with Carol.

'The girl is a damn emotion mess,' he thought to himself.

"Guys, I think they're back!" Dale's voice suddenly came from the RV. Daryl diverted his gaze to the top of the RV where Dale was looking through binoculars. Layna's wide eyes met his for an instant before she turned and headed back toward the RV. He followed her, anxious to see what the group had brought back with them.

* * *

Layna walked back toward the RV, Daryl on her heels. She felt like she was going to be sick and her head began slightly aching once again. Daryl's words kept replaying in her head. He had been watching her pretty closely, she knew that for sure. What she didn't know, however was that he was watching to make sure Merle didn't hurt her again. Could she believe him?

"What the hell?" Daryl muttered from behind her.

Layna could see two pairs of headlights coming up the road toward them. It was too dark to tell what kind of vehicles they were from this far away. Everyone stopped in their tracks, unsure of who was entering their campsite. The first truck proved to be the one everyone left in earlier. It pulled up close to the RV with the second truck pulling in behind it. The second one, she noticed was a large, white, van like truck.

"Andrea!" Amy cried as she ran toward the truck.

Andrea, Glen, Jacqui, Morales, and T-dog climbed out. Layna's eyes focused on the new truck. She held her breath, waiting for Merle and Ed emerge.

"We're all okay!" Glen yelled as everyone bombarded him with questions. "Well except for Merle and Ed."

"Whoa what the hell?" Daryl stepped forward and met him eye to eye.

"Well who's in there?" Layna asked, stepping forward, trying to divert Daryl's attention from Glen as she pointed to the large white truck.

Everyone looked back at the darkened form of the truck.

"New guy. He helped us in Atlanta. He's a cop." Glen replied.

"Where the fuck is my brother?" Daryl bellowed as he grabbed the collar of Glen's shirt. There was total chaos as Shane, T-dog, Morales, and Jim attempted to pull Daryl away from Glen. Daryl reminded her of a cornered dog, attacking anyone. Her mind was whirring. Something happened to Merle and Ed?

She lunged out of the way as Daryl and Shane tussled on the ground. Fists, curse words, and grunts flew. T-Dog, Morales, and the other men of camp tried desperately to tear them apart. She tore her eyes away from the men's fight when she heard the tuck door slam. Everyone seemed to have completely forgotten about the other truck when Daryl lost his temper. She glanced back down and saw that Shane had Daryl in a head lock.

"Daryl calm down so we can all understand what the hell happened!" Shane yelled.

"You best let me go!" Daryl grunted in response.

Layna watched as a thin man climbed out of the truck.

She held her breath when she realized who it was.

"Rick." She mumbled out loud. There he stood, wearing his police uniform and hat. His eyes connected with hers and then trailed behind her to where she knew Lori and Carl stood.

"Dad!" Carl cried, running past her and the wad of angry men.

"Carl!" Lori screamed as she ran after him, not realizing that it was Rick until she got closer.

Layna watched as Rick pulled them both into a tight hug. Everyone stopped fighting, even Daryl as they all watched her sister's tearful reunion with her husband. Shane let Daryl go and he clambered to his feet. Layna walked toward her sister's family when they finally let each other go. Rick pulled her into a hug too. Tears were brimming in her eyes.

"I don't understand." she murmured as she pulled away from him.

"How are you alive?"

* * *

"How the hell could ya'll leave my brother?" Daryl yelled as he stepped away from everyone. "Ya'll let him get bit?" He knew he was interrupting a family reunion but he didn't care.

He could imagine his brother laying in the street somewhere, being torn to pieces by the horrible bastards.

"If you calm down, we'll tell you," Andrea said, stepping away from Amy.

"Yeah man jus chill," T-dog said brushing the dirt off his pants.

Daryl could barely think straight, let alone chill.

"Well fuckin tell me what happened!" Daryl bellowed. Everyone was too worried about the new man's appearance to pay him any attention. Carol stepped forward, her daughter clinging to her side. "Is Ed dead?"

"We really don't know." Jacqui answered her softly.


	11. Chapter 11

Layna sat close to Rick, Lori, and Carl as he described waking up from his a coma and finding himself in this horrific nightmare. He explained how Glen had saved him and then they'd gotten stuck in a department store.

"I still haven't heard what happened to my brother!" Daryl grunted angrily from outside the circle of people huddled around the campfire.

Layna turned to look at him. He was pacing back and forth.

"Ed and Merle took off I guess," Glen said nervously.

"Yeah," Andrea butted in. "We were sneaking past walkers headed to the department store and they were following us. But when we got to the doors we turned around and they were gone."

"I don't think walkers got em," T-dog said. "We woulda heard em screaming."

"Where would they go?" Shane asked.

Everybody sat still, taking in everything that had happened. Layna was sure they probably went after the drug store she'd heard them talking about.

"If it wasn't for Rick, We'd still be in that building, I know that for sure." Morales stated appreciatively. Layna watched as he pulled his family close. Rick was holding Lori and Carl the same way. She couldn't believe that Rick was alive. It was truly a miracle amidst all of this heartache. She glanced back at Carol, wondering if deep down she was relieved her husband hadn't returned. Layna definitelly knew she was glad they hadn't returned. As bad as it sounded, she hoped they'd both been eaten alive.

"I'm going to find him." Daryl choked out.

"Whoa now, wait a minute." Rick stood up. "That'd be suicide. The walkers were all riled up when we left. There's too many of them."

Layna swallowed hard as Daryl got right in Rick's face.

"So I'm just supposed to leave him there huh? Like you sorry pricks did?"

"I didn't even meet him, Daryl," Rick explained. "But if I had to guess I'd say they probably got out. They could be on there way here right now."

Daryl glared at Rick.

"Well did ya'll get supplies?" Shane asked, trying to interrupt the stand off between Daryl and Rick.

"Not much," Andrea murmured. "We were more worried about getting out of that death trap."

Shane scowled. "Well what the fuck was that trip for then anyway? A waste that got some of our manpower left behind?"

"Well hold on, Shane," Rick said stepping away from Daryl. "I cleared most of the guns out of the police station, got em all in the truck."

"Good." Jim said thankfully. "We've been saying we needed to come across some more weapons."

Shane stood up. "Let me see what you got."

Layna watched as Rick showed Shane back toward the truck and pulled out a black bag of guns.

Layna breathed a sigh of relief. At least now they had weapons.

* * *

Daryl couldn't believe his brother had run off with Ed. He knew they'd gone for the drugs but were they even planning on coming back? Or had they just been left by accident? What the fuck was he supposed to do now, just sit with these hypocrites until his brother showed back up? He walked back to the truck and opened Merle's motorcycle bag. It still had all of his stuff in it including some antibiotics and painkillers in a zip lock bag, and his pistol.

"If he wasn't planning on coming back he would've taken those and he wouldn't have left his motorcycle behind," Daryl mumbled to himself. It just didn't make sense. Maybe that new guy Rick was right, maybe they just got left by accident and were on their way back right now. He watched everyone talking by the fire. 'Just great,' he thought to himself. 'Like we needed another cop.'

* * *

Layna stayed around the fire listening to everyone talk. Shane's mood seemed to have gotten worse and she seemed to be the only one who noticed his and Lori's quick glances at each other. She had a feeling that something was going on between them. Before long, people began retreating back to their tents. She wasn't ready to go to bed and face more nightmares. Waking up screaming again would put everyone at risk. Dale yawned and looked her way.

"Aren't you tired?" he asked.

"No, I'm not," she lied. "And I wanna give Lori, Rick, and Carl some time to themselves. No sense in me intruding in their tent."

"You could sleep in the RV. I'm sure there's plenty of room."

"Nah, I'm fine. If you'd like I could take over your watch. You look really tired."

Dale shook his head but then sighed. "I may have to take you up on that offer."

Layna nodded. "It's fine with me."

"I wouldn't normally agree," he began "But it looks like Daryl will be up too." Dale pointed toward the brother's camp. Daryl was rummaging through bags he'd pulled out of his Merle's tent. "He'll probably be watching too. If you see anything, don't hesitate to wake us. Even if you aren't sure."

"I'll be fine, Dale. I'll go sit on top of the RV so I can see."

He nodded. "Thank you Layna. I'll only need a few hours, then I'll take back over."

Layna followed Dale back to the RV. He slipped inside and she climbed the ladder to the top. She plopped herself in the lawn chair. She could see the entire campsite. Shane was now piling wood by the fire. When he glanced up and saw her he began walking her way. She waited for him to talk her out of keeping watch as he climbed up the ladder.

"Layna, what are you doin up here?"

"Keepin watch, Shane. What's it look like?"

"Without a gun?" he asked as he sat down on the RV roof in front of her.

"Well do you wanna give me one?"

He looked up at her and a smile slowly came across his face.

"What?" she asked. "You know I can shoot. You've seen me."

"I reckon we could spare one. You always had better aim than Lori," he said as he glanced back down at camp.

"Alright Layna, let's go get you one."

* * *

Daryl noticed Layna and Shane sitting on the roof of the RV when he finished going through Merle's things. They talked for a little while before they both climbed down. They both walked to Shane's jeep and pulled out the black bag of guns the new guy had brought with him. He watched as Shane pulled out a small pistol and handed it to her. Layna then loaded it with bullets Shane handed her next. Could that girl even shoot? He wondered. She and Shane exchanged a few other words and Shane put the bag back in the jeep. Layna headed back to the RV, with the gun in her hands. Obviously she could shoot if Shane was entrusting her with the gun and keeping watch, Daryl thought to himself.

* * *

Layna climbed back onto the roof of the RV and sat back in the chair. She felt incredibly safer now. She looked down at the handgun in her hands. Now that she was alone, she couldn't keep the memories out of her head. She tried to think of happy thoughts to get the horrible ones of Merle out of her head but the only happy thoughts she could think of made her more depressed. They made her think of her friends and family members that probably didn't make it. A noise on the ground suddenly broke her thoughts, making her look down. Daryl was climbing up the ladder.

"I reckon you couldn't be happier right now," he said gruffly as he pulled himself up onto the RV.

"I could be a hell of a lot happier," she replied as she watched him position himself on the edge of the RV, letting his legs hang off the side.

"I mean since Merle's gone." Daryl said as he looked back at her.

Layna shrugged her shoulders. "Don't mean he won't be back though does it?"

"I don't know what the fuck he's doing." Daryl grumbled.

Layna took her eyes away from his and glanced around the camp. The fire was beginning to die down but her eyes were adjusting to the darkness.

"I didn't know you could shoot."

Layna looked back at him. "Well there's a lot you don't know about me."

"What kind of handgun is it?"

"A Glock 19," she replied hesitantly.

"Let me see." Daryl said as he held out his hand. Layna's grip tightened on the gun in her lap.

"What do you think I'm gonna do take it from ya?" He grumbled. "Just let me look at it."

She slowly handed the gun to him. He took it and held it up close, examining it. "You're right, but do you know how much ammo it holds?"

"15 rounds."

"Damn, your Daddy teach you guns too?" he asked as he pointed the gun out into the darkness, aiming at nothing in particular.

"Kind of, but Shane just told me about this one. I've never shot it before, just some like it." Layna answered.

He handed it back out to her and she took it. His eyes locked in on hers. She could feel her hand sweating around the gun. There she was getting all nervous again. All it took was for him to look at her and she couldn't even concentrate.

"I wasn't lying earlier but if you don't believe me I could care less." Daryl said, interrupting her thoughts. She looked back at him. She wasn't sure if she believed him or not.

"Why are you up here talking to me anyway?" she snapped.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Hell if I know. Figured you were wallowing in your self pity up here anyway."

She frowned. "Maybe I was."

She waited for Daryl to say something else but he didn't. The silence between them felt even more uncomfortable than when they actually talked, she realized. They sat in silence for what seemed like ages. She stared out toward camp and he stared out into the darkness on the other side of the RV.

"Where do you shoot fancy guns like that one? Gun ranges or somethin?"

She turned back to look at him. He was still staring out into the darkness.

"Yeah, but not with my dad. Shane and Rick took me and Lori lots of times." She waited for him to respond, but once again he didn't.

"Daddy never shot those fancy ones. The ole .22 rifle was about as fancy as he got," she finished.

Daryl chuckled. "I didn't picture you as a girl who liked to shoot guns and fish. You hunt too?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"But you don't skin your own kill?" he asked as he turned back to face her.

"I can. I helped Daddy skin deer tons of times."

"I doubt that," he scoffed. "You'd skin a deer but not fish? You are one weird girl."

"No I'm not." she snapped. "Daddy never needed help skinning fish. I helped him skin deer though cause it takes so long. I didn't want him to be out there forever skinning on those cold mornings or nights when he killed one."

Thinking about her Dad was making her eyes well up with tears again. She looked away from Daryl and wiped her eyes.

"I feel like I'm in a nightmare and I should just wake up soon." she said softly, looking back toward the smoldering campfire.

"I ain't ever had a nightmare this bad." Daryl muttered.

Layna's eyes suddenly caught sight of movement.

"Wa…Walker!" she stammered.

Daryl threw his legs back onto the RV and crawled to her edge.

"Where?" he hissed.

Layna pointed to the woods, behind the tents. Another one emerged from the woods and into the dim firelight.

"Fuck!" Daryl cursed. "Stay here!"

_Sorry for the wait. I've been having internet and computer problems. Please Review!_


	12. Chapter 12

Layna's heart stopped as she watched three more walkers stumble out of the woods. Daryl began hurriedly climbing down the ladder.

"We have to wake everybody!" Layna stammered.

"Hold up. We don't know how many there are. Maybe that's all there is." Daryl whispered.

"Nuh uh. There's more!" Layna choked out, pointing in the direction of Daryl's tent.

"Shit!" he cursed, "Now I can't get my crossbow!"

"Here!" Layna held her handgun down to him.

"Are you crazy? You're gonna need that! I ain't takin your gun!"

"Just take it! Use it to make your way to Shane's jeep. There's still a lot of guns there!" she hissed back to him.

"Well you best stay here!" he snapped as he took the gun from her.

* * *

Daryl snatched the gun from Layna and leapt off the ladder. He ran toward Shane's jeep, firing and killing two walkers in his path. He reached in and grabbed the bag. Thinking he could kill the walkers by himself had been stupid. More of them were stumbling into the campsite and he knew his gunshots were bringing them in. He heard screams from the tents and saw people pouring out of them. Daryl threw the bag over his shoulder and took aim, shooting a few more walkers.

"Give me the bag!" Shane yelled as he took out a walker with an axe he picked up from by the fire. Daryl tore the bag off of his back and handed it to him. He took down a few more walkers while Shane unzipped the bag, looking for a gun. Shane pulled out something and Daryl snatched out a rifle. He slipped Layna's gun in the waistband of his pants and surveyed the chaos around him. Rick and a few of the other men were heading their way toward the guns. He saw people being taken down by walkers. And a few people were beginning to congregate by the RV so he began shooting walkers that were headed their way. He glanced back on top of the RV. Layna wasn't there anymore.

"Layna!" he yelled.

* * *

Layna climbed down from the RV and banged on the door. She had to warn everyone. Dale slung open the door, meeting her face to face. "Oh my God! Get in the RV!" he yelled at her, pulling her in as he rushed out past her. Andrea and Amy's terrified faces met hers. Andrea barreled past her and out into the chaos outside.

"Andrea! What are you doing?" Amy shrieked as she ran after her sister. Layna stood frozen in the doorway of the RV. Andrea had run after Dale, Amy right at her heels. Layna saw a walker getting closer to Amy as she ran. Layna forced her eyes away from the chaos outside and searched frantically around the inside of the RV. She needed a weapon so she grabbed a baseball bat laying on the small table and ran outside.

* * *

Daryl fired at walkers in between frantically searching for Layna.

"Why couldn't she just listen and stay on top of the fuckin RV!" he growled to himself. A shrill scream pierced the air, drowning out the shouts of everyone. He turned back to the RV. A walker had taken down someone. When he saw the blonde hair he realized that it was Amy. Jim swooped in and hit the walker in the head, knocking it to the ground. He turned away from the horrible sight of Amy bleeding on the ground and looked back toward the tents where more screams were originating from. He nearly tripped over the black bag of guns lying on the ground. He thought about picking it up but didn't want to be weighed down.

* * *

A walker spotted Layna as she stepped out of the RV. It lunged at her and she swung the bat at it. It fell backwards and she crashed the bat down into it's head harder this time. As she tore her eyes away from the walker on the ground, she saw Amy go down.

"Amy!" She shrieked.

A wall of walkers blocked her path as she tried to make her way to the screaming blonde. She froze. The bat wasn't going to help her get through this many. She turned and ran in the other direction, away from the RV. The black bag of guns caught her eye. She dove for it, and pulled out another handgun. She stood up just as a walker lumbered toward her. Backing up, she tried to find the safety on the gun. She flicked it off, and pulled the trigger. It clicked. She stumbled backwards, realizing that it wasn't loaded. Her eyes searched the hordes of bodies as she threw the gun back onto the ground. People were congregating by the RV. She saw Shane, standing in front of the crowd of people, shooting walkers before they could reach them.

This is it, she thought to herself. She made a wrong move, something you couldn't afford to do anymore. Walkers blocked her path. She frantically turned, looking for an escape. A shirtless walker lumbered closer to her, almost reaching her with its lifeless fingers. "Help!" she shrieked, knowing it was no use. Everyone was busy keeping themselves alive. They didn't have time to save her. A close gunshot rang out and the walker in front of her fell to the ground.

* * *

Daryl raised his gun and shot the walker just as it reached for Layna. He'd seen her pull the gun out of the bag and tried to make his way over to her. Her terrified eyes met his."Here! Take this!" he pulled her gun out of his waistband and held it out to her. She snatched it and he stepped in front of her.

"What are we gonna do?" She cried. He looked back toward the RV. There was no way they would make it over to the rest of the group.

* * *

Layna's hands shook as she tried to aim the gun at a walker. Daryl turned back to face her.

"We're going that way!" he yelled, pointing into the darkness behind her.

"What?" she gasped.

"Truck's that way! Come on!" he pushed her in the direction of his truck. Layna ran, Daryl right behind her toward his truck. She reached the passenger door and yanked it open just as a walker stepped out of the woods close by. She jumped in and slammed the door shut. Daryl climbed in the driver's side. "Are you bit?" he asked glaring at her.

"No." she stammered. "But what are we gonna do?"

A walker was climbing onto the hood of the truck and some were pressing against the windows now. He laid his gun beside his crossbow on the floorboard and started the truck.

"What are we doing?" Layna shrieked. "We can't leave them! My sister is back there somewhere!"

"Calm down!" Daryl yelled as he pulled away from the walkers that were climbing onto the truck. He slowly drove through the horde of walkers in the middle of their campsite and toward the RV. The men had retired their guns and everyone was hurrying into the RV and close surrounding cars.

"We lost so many people." Layna murmured as she stared at the mangled bodies they passed on the ground. Daryl sped up when they hit the dirt road, leading from the quarry, trying to lose the walkers. She turned and looked out the back window. She could see the RV and a few other cars' headlights as they followed them off the road and onto the littered highway.

* * *

Daryl pulled out onto the highway and looked over at Layna. She was still clutching the gun in her hand, staring wide eyed out of the windshield. He could see the headlights of the RV and other vehicles in the rearview mirror. "We need to go a ways further so the walkers don't catch up to us," he said, more to himself than to her. He stopped the truck and opened his door. "I'm gonna tell em. Be right back." She nodded back at him and pulled her legs up onto the seat. "See if they're okay, please?" she asked hopefully, looking back at him. He nodded. He figured she was talking about her sister and her family. He stepped out of the truck and waited as the RV pulled up close by. The door flew open and Lori stumbled out. "Is Layna okay?"

"Yeah she's alright. We gotta drive further, the walkers are gonna catch up to us if we stay here." he said, interrupting the frantic woman.

Rick climbed out of the RV, clutching Carl to his side. "Yeah we do," he said. Shane pulled up in his jeep next. Daryl could see a passenger with him but he wasn't sure who it was in the dark. The large white truck Rick had showed up in earlier pulled up last.

"I'll tell everyone." Rick finished. "We'll follow you."

Daryl nodded and hurried back to the truck.

* * *

Layna jumped when Daryl opened the door to the truck. "They're okay," he said he climbed back in. She reached for the door handle. "I'm going to see them…"

Daryl forcefully grabbed her arm. "No, you ain't. We've still got a ways to go before we stop for a damn reunion."

"Well where are we going?" she stammered.

Daryl let go of her arm and pointed ahead.

_If you guys are still interested and reading, please let me know with a review. _


	13. Chapter 13

Layna stared out the windshield as they drove through and around the vehicles left randomly on the highway. Neither her or Daryl had spoken for most of the ride. She kept thinking about the ones they left behind and wondered who had survived. She watched Daryl from the corner of her eye. He was chewing nervously on a fingernail as he drove. She wanted to break the silence. She had too. It was killing her.

"I guess I should say thank you." She blurted out, but regretted it when he didn't answer right away. He took his eyes off of the road and looked at her.

"Fer what? Saving your ass again?"

"Yeah exactly that. And I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier and called you a liar."

"Alright, I think we're far enough now." He said changing the subject and pulling over on the shoulder of the road. He turned and looked out the back window as everyone else parked. Layna opened the door and climbed out, tucking her gun in the waistband of her jeans.

"Yer gonna need more bullets soon. Don't get yourself in another situation like earlier," he said as she looked back up.

"Yeah I know. I don't know why I thought that gun would be loaded."

He was staring at her hard again. She cleared her throat. "I'm going to see who made it."

* * *

Daryl watched Layna walk to the RV. Lori, Carl, and Rick ran out to meet her. Jacqui and Dale followed them out. Daryl looked back toward the other two vehicles. Shane climbed out of the jeep and Andrea from his passenger's side. T-Dog climbed out of the driver's side of the large white truck. Glen, Carol, and Sophia climbed out after him.

"Damn," he grumbled. Their losses were real bad. He headed over to the RV.

"What are we gonna do now?" Shane asked angrily. "We left all of our supplies and guns back there."

"First of all, we're all gonna calm down." Rick said gruffly stepping away from Lori, Layna, and Carl.

"Where did all those walkers come from?" Lori asked, pulling Carl closer to her.

"Must have come from the city," Glen stepped up. "There was so many of them. What if more come?"

"Well it's too late to go anywhere now." Dale broke in. "We're completely helpless running around in the dark without guns."

Daryl sat back, wondering what bright idea the cops would come up with this time.

* * *

Layna waited as Rick and Shane talked away from everyone else. They looked like they were doing more arguing than talking. Dale was comforting Andrea who was crying on the ground. Layna swallowed back the lump in her throat. Poor Amy, she thought sadly. Everyone else was huddled beside the RV, Except for Daryl. He was leaned against the truck bed that still held Merle's motorcycle. His arms were crossed and he was just watching. Rick pulled her attention away from Daryl.

"Alright everyone. We are just going to have to stay put tonight. There's nothing else we can do."

She heard objections from almost everyone there.

"We can't just hang here like sittin ducks, waitin for another herd to blow through here." Daryl objected, finally stepping forward.

Rick held his hand up. "We can sleep in the cars. If walkers come through here they won't be able to get to us. But if we have to, we can just drive away if it gets bad."

"And in the morning, we'll go back and gather what we can." Shane put in. "By then the walkers will probably have moved on."

* * *

Daryl watched as everyone scattered back to the vehicles. Some people went inside the white truck because it had the enclosed space in the back and everyone else went inside the RV. He could only imagine how crowded it had to be in both of them. Shane climbed to the top of the RV to keep watch. "Maybe I should just leave," he thought to himself. What was keeping him here? Other than waiting for Merle to come back nothing was. He climbed back inside the truck. There definitely wouldn't be any sleep out here on the highway tonight.

"Guys, I'm turning off the headlights," Dale said, sticking his head out of the RV door.

Dale shut off the lights, leaving them in total darkness. Daryl knew it would be a while before his eyes adjusted to the moonlight. He wondered if Layna had gotten stuck sleeping in the RV or that truck. Either way she was probably squished. Daryl sat long ways on the seat and extended his legs toward the passenger door. He had nearly drifted off to sleep when he heard a tapping. His eyes flashed open

"Daryl," a small voice whispered outside of his window. Daryl sat up and saw the light. Somebody was standing outside of the truck with a flashlight, he realized.

* * *

Layna couldn't sit still in the crammed RV any longer. Listening to Andrea's sobs were driving her crazy. She waited until she thought everyone had drifted off to sleep before she grabbed Dale's flashlight and made her escape. She figured Daryl was awake. He always seemed to be. She knew she needed to stay awake so she didn't have another nightmare and wake everyone up. Halfway to his truck, she began doubting herself. Why the hell was she going to his truck in the middle of the night? Just because he saved her didn't mean he wanted to sit up with her all night because she didn't wanna go to sleep and have a nightmare. She held her breath and tapped on his window.

* * *

When Daryl jerked open his door he saw Layna standing, flashlight in hand.

"What the hell?" he grumbled.

"Did I wake you? I thought you'd probably be awake, she stammered nervously.

"Get that damn light out of my eyes!" he hissed back at her.

She lowered the light back to the ground. "I'm sorry. I was just wondering if I could.. Oh nevermind forget about it, it's stupid."

He looked back at her, trying to read the expression on her face in the thick darkness.

"Wondered if what?"

"If I could sit in your truck. It's crowded in there and Andrea's crying…" she rambled nervously.

Daryl looked back at her. This girl musta got bit, he thought to himself. She sure was acting different. She usually avoided him like he was Merle. Now she wanted to sleep in his truck?

"Uh..I reckon?" he muttered.

She walked around to the passenger side and climbed in. He shut his door and rubbed his eyes.

"I don't think there's enough room for two people to sleep in here." he said as she laid her gun and the flashlight on the dash and flicked it off.

"I'm not sleeping, just sitting." she murmured.

Daryl grunted. "Yeah you say that now, but you'll be conked out in a few minutes."

"No, I can't," she shot back. "I don't wanna wake everyone up again."

He'd forgotten about her episode earlier that morning.

She fell silent and so did he. He was starting to feel bad again. There he was again talking to this girl and letting her stay in his truck. 'What the hell am I gonna do when Merle gets back?' he wondered to himself. Go back to treating her like crap to keep Merle happy? He knew he shouldn't have let Merle hurt her the first time, but it happened and there was nothing he could do about it now. He just wouldn't let it happen when his brother came back, if he ever did.

* * *

When Layna woke up, her face hurt from leaning against the glass window. She jerked her head up. She hadn't meant to fall asleep. Her eyes searched the truck. Daryl wasn't there, but her gun and flashlight were still sitting on the dash. She looked around, stretching her sore arms. It was beginning to lighten up and she could see a few people outside .Shane, Rick, and Glen were rummaging through one of the close cars. She opened her door and climbed out, breathing in the fresh morning air. She couldn't believe she'd slept so soundly. Glen saw her first and gave her a strange look as she made her way to them.

"You slept in Daryl's truck?" he asked surprisingly.

"Oh yeah. It was crowded everywhere else." She suddenly felt awkward.

'I shouldn't have done that,' she thought to herself.

"Yeah, I wondered where you'd gone to. Daryl told me this morning that you'd accidentally fell asleep in there though." Rick said as he slammed the trunk back on the car.

"Uh yeah," she said softly. "Where is Daryl anyway?"

Glen pointed ahead toward a few parked cars. Daryl was slamming the door back on a small white car. He slipped something in his pocket and turned back their way. He began walking back toward them so she diverted her gaze back to the car Rick, Shane, and Glen had been searching through. "Told ya you'd be conked out." Daryl muttered as he passed by her and walked back to his truck.

_Author's note: Thanks for the encouraging reviews. The Layna and Daryl action is just beginning now. Please continue to review._


	14. Chapter 14

Daryl walked past Layna, Glen, Shane, and Rick and back to his truck. He hadn't slept at all last night after Layna came out. She seemed to have slept just fine though he thought grumpily. He emptied his pockets, pulling out a bottle of Tylenol and one of Aspirin that he'd just found. There wasn't much in them but he figured they might come in handy. He opened the glove box and tossed them in.

"Rick, man, what's the plan? It ain't safe just sitting in the open." Shane's angry voice carried his way.

Daryl climbed out of the truck and stood, listening to the cops' discussion.

"I think we should go to Fort Benning." Shane continued.

"Shane, that's too far away. If that's a bust then what are we gonna do then?" Rick answered. "If anything I think we should check out the CDC. That's closer."

Daryl watched the two cops argue. Glen and Layna stood by, just watching.

"But we need to wait a while," Rick stated. "Two men from this group were left in Atlanta and I have a man and his son I've gotta warn."

"Rick! Have you lost your mind, man? They're probably dead!" Shane yelled, getting in Rick's face.

"Shane, I'm not going to safety without that man and his son, they saved my life. I told them on the walkie talkie that we were camping at the quarry. They're probably on their way there."

Shane exploded again. "You have Lori and Carl to think about!"

"I'm sure Carol and Daryl would appreciate if we gave their family members a chance too!" Rick screamed back. "We can find a safe place to hunker down."

Daryl was surprised that Rick wanted to wait. If he'd actually met Ed and Merle, he knew he wouldn't have the same feelings. Either way, Daryl knew he was going to stay. His brother would come back to the quarry when he go out of the city.

* * *

Layna stood, listening to Rick's plan of sticking around so that Ed, Merle, and a man with his son could catch up to them. They needed to leave now. Get away while they could and leave no trail for Merle to follow, she thought nervously. She wanted to tell Rick that these men weren't even an asset to the group. They only hurt people and mooched off of them.

"Let's just go back and get our supplies and stuff." Rick finally said.

"Why don't we get someone to scout the quarry first and make sure there aren't walkers still there. That way we won't be wasting much gas dragging everyone back there." Glen piped in.

Rick nodded. "That's a good idea."

"I don't think we should drag everyone back there." Layna said softly. She knew that Andrea and a few of the others wouldn't be able to handle the mess back at camp. "We lost a lot of people. I think we'd just be reopening old wounds."

"We'll just get a small group together and go get everything," Rick finally decided. "Then meet back here and decide our best move."

"Layna, go ask Daryl if he'll go okay?" Rick asked. "I'm going to get everybody else up.

Layna nodded and tromped toward Daryl's truck.

* * *

Daryl saw Layna coming his way. He watched her as she pulled nervously at a ponytail on her wrist. Now in the daylight, he could see the walker blood that was splattered on her t-shirt and jeans.

"Rick was wondering if you'd be willing to ride back to the quarry and help gather up what's left," she said as she stopped in front of him, shoving her hands in her back pockets.

"We're not all goin back?"

"No, I don't think that would help anybody. Andrea is suffering pretty bad already."

"Well what are we gonna do? Sleep here until Merle, Ed, and them other guys he's waitin on get back?" He could hear the aggravation rising in his voice.

"I..I don't know what we're doing yet."

He could tell the very mention of Merle changed her demeanor.

"Rick said we could find a safe place to hunker down. I have no idea where that could be though." She said as she walked to the other side of the truck and opened the door. He watched her reach in and pull out her gun.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep last night," she said as she slammed the door back.

He shrugged. "Don matter."

He was still wondering why she'd come to him last night anyway.

"How many bullets you got left?" he asked as she pulled the magazine out of the gun.

"Five. Shane's got more in the gun bag back at camp though."

"Okay guys let's get a move on," Shane yelled as he stepped out of the RV with Rick and T-dog following behind him.

"You comin, Daryl?" Rick asked as he walked closer.

"Yeah," he grunted back.

"You Layna?" Rick asked.

Layna look surprised she'd been asked. She nodded and slipped the magazine back into her gun. "You should probably let Lori know." Rick said leaning in closer to her.

She nodded and jogged toward the RV.

Shane, T-dog, and Rick climbed into the Large white truck, Rick in the driver's seat. Daryl climbed back in his truck. Layna popped out of the RV a minute later and looked at his truck and then back at Rick's. He thought she was coming to his but she changed her course and jogged to Rick's. Daryl turned back and saw that Rick was motioning to her. She pulled up the back on the truck and climbed into it. 'Why the hell did Rick invite her?' he wondered. She hadn't show any valuable survival skills yet. Sure she had a gun, but she hadn't even used it. The only thing he'd seen from her was a weak girl that had to be protected. Obviously Rick and Shane knew something about her he didn't. They trusted her. Daryl turned the truck around and followed the white truck down the road, leaving the RV in the rearview mirror.

* * *

Layna rode in the enclosed back of the truck with T-dog. She'd almost rode with Daryl, but she still felt awkward about last night.

"I figured you woulda rode with Daryl." Shane said as he turned around in his seat.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Layna snapped back.

"You and him just seem a little cozy all of a sudden."

"I slept in his truck because everywhere else was crowded and full of crying people! There's only so much I can take Shane." At the time, his truck had also felt like the safest place, she thought to herself.

"Well, he watches you like a hawk, Layna."

"Lori told me you came to camp with him and his brother?" Rick interrupted, looking back at her from the rearview mirror.

"Uh yeah," Layna murmured. "They found me when I was lost in the woods. I was beginning to think I'd never see another living creature."

"Them guys are different," T-dog cut in. "Merle especially."

"Merle definitely isn't worth waiting for, Rick." Layna said softly. Rick stared hard back at her from the rearview mirror before putting his eyes back on the road. She swallowed hard. Rick would be the best person to tell, she knew.

"He's dangerous." She stated.

Shane turned back to face her.

"He the one that hurt you?"

She bit down on her bottom lip and nodded. Tears brimmed in her eyes. She couldn't believe she'd finally let the truth out. Shane gritted his teeth.

"Why didn't you tell me or Lori?" he yelled. "We let that bastard stay in the campsite!"

"Did he do more than beat you up, Layna?" Rick asked softly. It was obvious he was trying to hide the anger in his voice. A sob escaped her throat. She had no clue when she climbed in the truck with them that it would turn out like this. She was beginning to wish she'd rode with Daryl. At least he was quiet.

She lowered her head in her hands.

"I'm serious Layna," Rick continued. She looked up from her hands. T-dog was staring wide eyed back at her and Shane was glaring at her.

"Yes," she choked out. "He…" she trailed off. Bringing herself to say rape was harder than she thought it would be.

The truck stopped and Rick slammed his hand down hard on the steering wheel.

"Layna! Why wouldn't you tell someone!" He screamed back at her.

"I couldn't."

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!" Shane yelled, pointing out the window at Daryl's truck that pulled up beside them. He jerked open his door.

"No!" Layna shrieked. "He didn't do anything!"

_Please Review!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's Note: I wanted to say a special thanks to **Emberka-2012** and **Leyshla Gisel**. I'm pretty sure you both have reviewed every single chapter. I really appreciate it. Thanks to all of my other reviewers too! Enjoy and continue to review! (Oh did anyone else see the Season 3 trailer? It looks awesome. Ugh i can't wait!)_

"Shane!" Layna screamed as she climbed through the front of the truck and out the door after him. A putrid smell hit her nose, forcing her eyes to look forward at the destruction that was once their campsite. Bodies were scattered on the ground. Shane hadn't seemed to notice. He was running full speed toward Daryl who had just climbed out of the truck.

"What the hells goin on!" Daryl growled.

"I told you he didn't do anything!" Layna shrieked again. Shane made it to Daryl before she could catch up to them. He stopped in front of him. His fists were clenched by his sides.

"Why the hell would you let your brother lay his hands on her?" Shane yelled in Daryl's face.

"Shane stop!" Layna snapped, trying to regain her composure. She reached over and grabbed his arm, attempting to pull him away.

"You best get out of my face!" Daryl growled.

"How could you let that happen to her and then sit at camp like nothing happened!" Shane continued.

Layna could hear T-dog and Rick making their way over.

Daryl glared back at Shane. They were face to face now, almost as if they were daring the other to move. Layna thought that Shane was about to throw a punch so she threw herself in between them, taking them both by surprise. She leaned her body against Shane, grabbing his arms and trying to pushing him away. "I'm serious Shane! He saved my life last night! Do you hear me?" She said anything she could think of, trying to detour Shane's anger away from Daryl.

* * *

Daryl stepped away from Layna and Shane when she threw her body in between them. He was so mad he could barely see straight. Shane had no right to jump his case for something Merle did. What happened to Layna keeping her mouth shut anyway? Rick grabbed Shane from behind, pulling him away. "Shane, calm down, this isn't helping anything!" Rick yelled.

"Just look at her! How could you let your brother touch her?" Shane bellowed again, pointing at Layna. Daryl let his eyes drift to where she was standing. She looked terrified.

"Just leave him alone." She begged. "Please."

"Guys we aren't alone here." T-dog stammered. Daryl looked back at the campsite. There was a walker kneeling on the ground, eating and pulling at a body. Daryl grabbed his crossbow out of the truck and walked toward it,. He loaded the crossbow and fired at it as it stood up. He bent down and pulled the arrow out of its head before he looked back at the others. He realized Rick had let go of Shane. Shane was still glaring at him with his fists clenched at his sides.

"You don't know Merle. I did what I could." Daryl gritted through his teeth.

"Let's just get our stuff and go. Please." Layna pleaded.

"I don't think we can trust you, Daryl." Shane muttered, pulling Layna closer to him. Daryl could feel his temper rising once again.

Layna jerked away from Shane and stumbled backwards."Shane! I told you he didn't hurt me. It was Merle. Daryl saved me last night, and he did from that walker the other day too!" Layna screamed back at Shane.

Daryl watched as Layna stuck up for him. It was beginning to piss him off. He could stick up for himself.

"I don't need any of you!" Daryl yelled back. "I'll just be on my fuckin way."

"Wait Daryl." Rick stepped forward. "If you can act right, we need every able body."

"If I can act right?" Daryl hissed back, walking closer to them. "What the hell do you think I'm gonna do? You think I'm gonna rape her too? I ain't my brother."

* * *

Layna clenched her teeth, waiting for Shane or Rick to say something.

"Well ya never know," Shane began snootily " Why would you be any different than that white trash brother of yours?"

"Shut the hell up!" Daryl bellowed. Shane rushed forward at Daryl.

"Shane!" Rick and Layna yelled almost at the same time. Daryl suddenly raised his crossbow pointing it at Shane, causing him to stop immediately.

"Whoa Daryl!" Rick yelled. "Calm down."

Daryl didn't lower the bolt from Shane's head. Layna's heart thudded in her chest. He wouldn't shoot him would he?

"Daryl, I know you aren't like your brother," Rick continued. "If you were like him, you wouldn't have helped Layna. Hell, she wouldn't have slept in your truck if she didn't trust you."

"Exactly!" Layna stammered nervously.

Layna stepped forward, placing her hand on Shane's shoulder. "C'mon Shane, let's just get the supplies and leave." She looked back at Daryl, hoping he would lower his crossbow. "Daryl, please." she said softly, trying to calm her shaking voice.

* * *

Daryl lowered the crossbow and took a step back. Shane was still glaring at him, but Layna was tugging him away. "Forget about it Shane," She said said gruffly. "Let's just get our shit and go."

"I wouldn't have said anything if I knew this would happen!" Layna yelled, now directing it to everyone in the group as she glared at them. "Do me a favor and forget it happened, okay?" Daryl watched as she turned back in his direction. He thought she was staring at him but realized she was looking behind him. She walked past him and he turned to see what she was doing. She stood, looking out at the bodies that littered the ground. Everyone stopped and began taking in the actual devastation that sat before them.

"Guys." Layna's voice broke the long silence. "The bag's gone."

"What?" Shane snapped.

"The guns. The bag of guns!" Layna shrieked in disbelief. Daryl ran over to where she was standing.

"Shit." he muttered as he scanned the area.

"Are you sure they were here?" Rick asked, jogging over.

"Yes. They were here, weren't they Daryl? They were right here!" She pointed at the ground.

"Yeah they were." Daryl scanned the area.

"Somebody's been here." Shane said, pointing to the tents.

Almost all of the contents in every tent had been pulled out. "What the hell?" Daryl muttered.

"There wasn't anybody left alive when we left, was it?" T-dog asked.

Daryl walked over toward his and Merle's tents. Sure enough, they'd been ransacked.

"I didn't see anybody." Rick said solemnly.

"Well somebody was here. They took all the supplies!" Layna announced as she ducked her head in Lori's tent.

Daryl bent down. Everything had been taken out of Merle's tent, even clothes. He groaned and stood back up.

"Just great." He muttered. It had to have been Merle and Ed, and he'd missed them.

He grabbed his bag and opened it. Merle had taken everything useful out of his stuff too, everything but his clothes.

"This is just wonderful!" Shane yelled. "Now we have no supplies or weapons!"

Daryl stood back up and turned to see what everyone else was doing. Layna was clutching a few articles of clothing and a book of some sort to her chest while Rick and T-dog looked for anything useable.

"Man, who would come and steal everything?" T-dog complained.

"Was probably Merle and Ed." Daryl muttered. "All Merle's shit's gone."

"Go check for Ed's." Rick ordered to T-dog. T-dog hurried to the tent Ed shared with Carol and Sophia.

"Oh hell no," T-dog muttered from inside the tent. "There ain't none of his crap left in here."

"Those bastards." Shane growled.

"We can't blame them," Rick butted in. "As far as they knew we were gone for good. They were just surviving."

"I gotta go catch up to em." Daryl blurted out.

"Well where do you think they went?" Rick asked hopefully.

Daryl thought for a minute. Merle had never mentioned anywhere they should go. Hell, he coulda went anywhere.

Daryl shook his head.

"Well what's the plan now?" Layna asked as she stepped closer to them still clutching the stuff to her chest.

"I guess we have to break the news to everyone else first." Rick answered.

"But then what?" Layna cried, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.

"We'll find a safe place to hunker down and gather supplies. God knows we need a meal too." Rick explained. "But there's nothing left here. Let's go."

* * *

Layna stood frozen in place as everyone walked back toward the trucks. What were they going to do now? She let her eyes drift back to the bodies on the ground. She looked for anyone she would recognize. Amy was the only person she'd seen go down, but her body wasn't by the RV where she'd fallen. "Amy's not there anymore." She stammered aloud.

Rick, Shane, and T-dog didn't seem to hear her. They continued in the direction of the trucks.

"Yeah cause she turned and walked off." Daryl muttered gruffly in her ear.

"Oh God." Layna murmured.

"Yeah and she probably wasn't the only one." He continued.

"Daryl," she said softly, turning to face him.

"I didn't know Shane would explode like that. I didn't mean to say anything, I just.."

Daryl shrugged his shoulders. "Just remember I can stick up fer myself. I don't need you. I don't need any of ya," He muttered as he walked by her and headed for his truck.

Layna wondered if he would even stick around now. She was relieved that Merle and Ed had parted paths from them, but she began to worry. What if they caught back up with them somehow? She knew Rick and Shane wouldn't let them come back now that they knew the truth. God, she still couldn't believe she'd told them. She just hoped they dropped it and didn't pry anymore on the subject.

"C'mon Layna, we don't have time to waste," Rick called from the truck.

Layna jogged back to the Truck and climbed in the back with T-dog, pulling the back of it down again.

"We're so screwed." T-dog muttered as they pulled down the dirt road and onto the highway once again.

"Why the hell do you stick up for him Layna?" Shane asked from the front seat.

Layna swallowed hard. "He didn't do anything, Shane. It wasn't his fault."

"It's not what he did, Layna." Shane roared. "It's what he didn't do. He should've stopped him. I mean look at yourself."

Rick's eyes met hers from the rearview mirror once again.

"Shane," Rick said calmly. "You aren't helping her."

Shane didn't stop. "How long did he rape and beat you Layna? The way you look, it could've been days. And what did Daryl do? Huh?"

"Shane that's enough!" Rick barked back..

"Rick, you don't think it's weird that he let his brother do whatever the hell he wanted to her. Obviously he didn't care."

Layna bit down on the inside of her cheek, trying to keep the tears back.

"Please..Just stop!" She stammered.

Layna didn't completely understand why Daryl didn't help her, but she found it hard to believe he didn't care. If he didn't care he wouldn't have saved her from those walkers. He wouldn't associate with her if he didn't care. She thought he acted almost as emotionally damaged and abused as she felt. He cared, he just had strange ways of showing it.


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's Note: _

**Witchbaby300 -**_ I really liked Shane at first. He got a little too crazy for me in the second season though. I totally get where you're coming from. I like Daryl because he's so tough and badass, but he's definitely different than the other characters. I like the guys who'll take charge and get something done. _

**Emberka-2012 -**_ I think it was Norman himself who said that damaged and hurt people gravitate toward other hurt and damaged people. He was talking about Daryl and Carol but that's kind of how I imagine him and Layna getting closer. They've both been through hell and could maybe find comfort in one another eventually._

_**Thanks to _**Alina Maxwell **_and_**Leyshla Gisel**_ for reviewing also!_

Layna watched everyone anxiously congregate by the RV as they pulled up. Little did everyone know, they were bearing bad news.

"Guys, please don't mention what happened with Merle to Lori or anyone else." Layna pleaded. She could only imagine Lori's reaction. Her sister definitely didn't need anything else to worry about.

Rick looked back at her. "Layna, You know I wouldn't."

"You too Shane." Layna added. "Promise me."

Shane chewed his bottom lip, looking back at her. She knew she could trust Rick's word, but she wasn't so sure about Shane's.

"Alright, fine," he said casually. "But you watch out for Daryl, alright?"

"He's not gonna hurt me Shane." Layna snapped. She stood up, slipping her gun back in the waistband of her jeans and pulled the back of the truck up. She was met immediately by Lori, Glen, Carol, and Jacqui.

"Everything went okay?" Lori asked, pulling Layna close to her.

"We're okay," Layna said softly.

* * *

Daryl parked the truck and got out, carrying his crossbow with him. He figured it was only a matter of time before another herd of walkers came stumbling through. He saw Layna talking with Lori, Glen, Carol, and Jacqui. The horrified expressions on their faces let him know she must have told them about the guns and supplies. Daryl watched Shane open his door and climb out. Their eyes met and Shane's face hardened. Daryl stared back at him. He had a feeling this cop wasn't going to ever get off his case.

Daryl looked back at everyone else. They were listening with fearful expressions as Rick said something he was too far away to hear. 'This group's doomed,' he thought to himself. He knew he should just get out while he could and find Merle, only problem with that was he wasn't sure where to start. He felt doomed too. Hell, they were all doomed. The walkers ruled now. He propped up against the truck and looked down at his scuffed up boots. A shadow fell over the ground, making him look up.

Rick stopped in front of him, clenching his teeth.

"Shane's temper is a little out of control," he confessed. "Can't say I can blame him though."

Daryl looked back at Rick. He didn't have anything to say to him. Was he wanting for him to apologize for what his brother did?

Daryl looked past Rick and back at the group. They were still talking. Layna had her back to him now and he noticed the gun was still sticking out of her jeans. He waited for Rick to say something else, but he didn't.

"What do you want me to say?" Daryl asked angrily. "That I'm sorry it happened? Would that make it all better?"

Rick squinted back at him. "No, it wouldn't make it better."

Daryl scoffed.

"I didn't come here to hear you say you were sorry. I came to say that we need every capable person to survive. Layna trusts you so we can too." Rick announced. "Are you planning on staying with the group?"

Daryl shrugged. "Well my other plans fell through."

"Alright then." Rick muttered. "Me and Shane are gonna ride up the highway. We need to find an empty house, maybe one that's off by itself. The plan is to hunker down, scavenge for supplies, and rest. Any house should have food if the inhabitants got bit or ran off."

"What's that have to do with me?" Daryl asked.

"You could help by scavenging the cars with everyone else. And we're gonna have to siphon the gas out of them eventually."

Daryl nodded. "I reckon I could do that."

"Good," Rick said as he glanced around the highway. "Just watch for walkers. Hopefully we'll find some more ammo and weapons somewhere too."

* * *

Layna watched Shane and Rick drive off in search of a safe house they could stay in. She hoped they found something quick. She was beginning to have hunger pains. Glen and T-dog began going through the vehicles right away. She decided she would help. Keeping herself busy helped get her mind off the hunger and kept her from feeling sorry for herself.

"Found anything yet?" She asked as she walked up to the car they were busy tearing through.

"Here's a purse. May have something in it," T-dog answered as he held it out to her.

Layna took it and sat it on the trunk as she unzipped it. It felt so weird going through other people's things. A purse always seemed like a woman's most personal hiding place. She pulled out a leather snap closed wallet first. She opened it, and stared into the smiling face of a young blonde woman on the driver's license.

"Too bad money isn't useful anymore," Glen muttered over her shoulder as she flipped through the bills in the wallet.

"Yeah, she's got over a hundred bucks right here." Layna said sadly as she closed the wallet back and laid it on the trunk.

"Anything else in there?" T-dog asked as he climbed out of the car.

"Uh," Layna hurriedly sifted through the contents. "We have some Midol and a bunch of other useless junk," she said as she laid the Midol on the trunk and threw everything else back in.

"Finding anything?" Daryl's voice from behind made her jump.

"Not in this car." Glen answered. "I'm going to check out that mustang," he said pointing down the line of cars. He began walking toward it and T-dog followed.

Daryl reached over and picked up the pill bottle.

"At least no one will have cramps," Layna joked as he sat it back down.

"Good. We don't need any PMSing bitches to deal with on top of the walkers." He said sharply.

Layna's mouth fell open. "Rude much?" She squinted up at him, trying to read his expression.

He shrugged.

"Whatever," She snapped, turning back to the car. He still seemed pissed about what happened back at the quarry. He probably blamed her, and on top of that Merle had left him. She thought he should be jumping for joy at the thought of Merle skipping out on him, but he seemed to be taking it hard.

Layna moved on to the next car. She climbed in the open driver's door and looked around. Papers were scattered on the floorboards. "Hey, pop the trunk," Daryl ordered from the back of the car.

Layna looked around for the button or switch.

"I don't see it," she said as she craned her neck to see around the steering wheel.

"Alright Move," Daryl was beside her in an instant leaning in and pressing the button she'd overlooked. "Why the hell was that so hard?" he grunted.

"Why do you have such an attitude?" She snapped. "You have got serious problems if you're blaming me for what happened back at the quarry." She climbed out and followed him back around to the trunk.

"Didn't say that," he muttered as threw open the trunk.

"Great, now we have Midol and Golf clubs," he said sarcastically as he slammed the trunk back closed.

"Hey wait, we could use those! We don't have much ammo."

"Well see if you can pop the truck this time," he said rudely.

Layna glared back at him before hopping back in the car and popping the trunk.

* * *

Daryl pulled three golf clubs out of the trunk and slammed it back. Layna did have a point. If they had to, they could use these. She walked back around the car.

"So are you staying with the group?"

Daryl looked back at her. "Does it look like i got anything better to do?"

Her stomach growled, breaking the conversation between them. She folded her arms across it. He wondered why everyone did that, it wasn't like it would ever make it shut up. He walked back to the other car and laid the golf clubs by the Midol. He opened the door of the next car. There was a baby seat in the back and baby clothes scattered on the back seat. He wondered where the baby was. Peppermints in the middle console pulled his attention away from the mess in the back. He knew they wouldn't be much, but he picked them up anyway and climbed out. Layna was watching him, leaning against the car beside the golf clubs. He walked over to her and held his hand out.

"Here, at least it's somthin."

She looked at the peppermints in his hand before taking them from him.

"Uh thanks."

* * *

Layna took a break, sitting on the trunk of a car. She crunched on the peppermints Daryl had given her as she watched him, T-dog, and Glen continue going through the vehicles. The morning sun was beating down now, making the trunk of the car hot on her legs. She was considering joining everyone back in the RV. She felt bad for Carl and Sophia. Carol and Lori were making sure they didn't get outside. It was dangerous outside, sure, but she didn't want to go sit in a crowded RV with two hyper kids.

"What I wouldn't give for a glass of water." T-dog said desperately as he walked back her way, Glen and Daryl on his heels.

"Yeah, me too," Layna sighed. She pulled the ponytail off her wrist and leaned her head down, pulling up her long brown hair off her sweaty neck. She didn't care if the hickeys were still visible. It was too hot to care.

"If they don't get back here soon, we're gonna have to go find some damn food ourselves," Daryl complained.

"I'll go see what's left in the RV," Glen suggested as he headed that way.

Layna jumped off the hot trunk. She was beginning to get a headache, but she wasn't sure if it was because she was starving to death or from the small bump still on her head.

Daryl suddenly raised his crossbow, pointing it behind her. Layna jerked around, looking in the direction T-dog and Daryl were both focused. A walker had emerged from the woods and was headed their way onto the highway.

"I hope that's the only one," Layna stammered as she moved behind Daryl. He kept the crossbow aimed, waiting for it to move closer. When it spotted them, it quickened it's dragging pace. Daryl let the arrow fly and hit the walker right in it's eye with a sickening splat. He walked to it and pulled the arrow back out.

"We need to get the hell out of here." He grumbled, looking back at the woods.

As if on cue, the white truck came into view.

"Finally," Layna sighed.

_Sorry for the shortness and slowness. The next chapter will be longer and have more action. I think time will begin to move a lot faster soon. Please Review!_


	17. Chapter 17

_Author's Note: _**Leyshla Gisel**_ - Yes kind of Lol. As much as Daryl tries to hide it, he cares about her. He can't help it. _

_**Enjoy and continue to review please!_

Rick and Shane climbed out of the truck hurriedly.

"We found a place," Rick said. "It's empty, looks like whoever lived there ran for it."

Daryl could see relief wash across everyone's faces.

"There's an old country store on the way too," Shane interrupted. "We didn't check it out, but we could go there and try to stock up."

"C'mon everybody, let's go. We have a lot to do before dark falls," Rick said motioning back to the RV and trucks.

Daryl headed back to his truck while everyone else clambered back into the RV and the white truck. He slammed the door and started the engine, tossing his crossbow back on the floorboard beside the rifle he'd used last night.

"Hey Daryl wait!" Layna called.

He craned his neck and saw her scooping the golf clubs and pill bottle off the trunk of the car. She ran over to his truck, laying the golf clubs in the back by Merle's motorcycle. She opened the passenger door."Mind if I ride with you again?"

"I don't care just hurry and get in before we get left," he grumbled back. She pulled the gun out of her jeans and laid it and the pill bottle on the dash before climbing in. The white truck pulled out first, and he waited for the RV to go next.

They rode in silence for a while, before she reached over and turned on the radio. She turned the volume up, waiting to see if she could hear anything.

"It ain't gonna work," he said taking his eyes off the road to look back at her.

"It's worth a shot," she replied, trying a few more stations before turning it back off. She sat back in her seat again, staring out the open window.

"Oh my God," she groaned suddenly, covering her mouth with her hand.

Daryl looked at her side of the road. A ghastly group of walkers were devouring something up ahead, in the ditch.

"It's a good thing we're getting off this damn highway, them things probably woulda went straight back there for us when they finished that meal," Daryl muttered.

"What do you think started this?" Layna asked, not taking her eyes off the walkers as they got closer.

"Hell if I know," Daryl grunted.

"They didn't even say much on the news. We had no warning," she said sadly.

"Yeah well, guess it surprised everybody," Daryl replied absently. "So why were you runnin in the woods? Why weren't you with that cop and your sister?"

"School. I was driving in driver's ed when we ran into a standstill on the interstate. I got out and ran." She explained slowly, like she was reliving the memories. "I wasted my whole life in school," she complained. "Of course the dead had to start walking before senior year was even over."

Silence fell in between them again.

"I hope that house has running water," She said hopefully. He watched her run her fingers through her tangled ponytail.

"Ain't used to roughin it are ya?"

She shrugged back at him.

He followed the RV off of the highway and onto a small country road.

"That's the store?" Layna asked as the white truck pulled into the gravel parking lot.

"I guess," Daryl muttered. The store looked completely run down. The door stood wide open and the front glass window was broken. Daryl pulled in beside the RV and truck.

Rick and Shane climbed out of the truck, each holding the gun they'd used when running from the walkers last night.

"We're gonna go in and clear it out before everybody comes in. Last thing we need is for everyone to run in and find walkers. Everybody wait here," Rick ordered sternly.

"Stay here," Daryl ordered to Layna. "I'm going in too."

"Well hey, give them the golf clubs. They aren't as loud," Layna suggested, reaching down and picking up his crossbow from beneath her feet.

She held it out to him and he took it.

It was definitely a good idea. He had to admit she'd come up with quite a few good ones lately. "Alright," he said as he climbed out of the truck.

* * *

Layna watched Rick, Shane, T-dog and Daryl walk cautiously toward the open door of the store. Rick and Shane both held a golf club while Daryl held his crossbow. T-dog walked behind them with a gun just in case. She climbed out of the truck, grabbing her gun. They disappeared into the darkness of the store. Layna listened carefully for any signs of struggle. Everyone else climbed out of the RV and truck too, waiting nervously. Even Dale and Andrea, who she hadn't seen since their escape from the quarry last night stood close by. Andrea's eyes were puffy and swollen, it was obvious she'd been crying.

Daryl suddenly appeared in the doorway, and motioned to everyone before disappearing back in. Layna jogged to the door and stepped in, everyone else following close behind. The place had been ransacked. Shelves were turned over and it was obvious a struggle had taken place. There was a dead walker laying face down in front of the checkout counter. A pool of dark blood had seeped from it, puddling on the floor. It looked like it had been there quite a while.

Daryl, Rick, Shane, and T-dog were snatching things quickly off the shelves and throwing them in plastic grocery bags.

"Just because it's safe now don't mean it will be fer long. Get what you need and let's hurry and get the hell out of here," Daryl yelled as everyone stumbled in.

Layna grabbed a plastic bag off the counter and immediately scanned the shelves still standing. Some of them had been totally cleared. She made her way to a shelf in the back that was full of hygiene products.

She picked up soap, a pack of toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, and a pack of razors. If that house didn't have running water she knew she was going to be incredibly disappointed. She headed back toward the food isle next, grabbing small bags of chips, beef jerky, and candy bars until her plastic bag was full. Everyone else was still "shopping" so she took her time, walking around to see what else she might need. She passed Lori packing medicines and band aids and walked back to the front of the store. Daryl caught her eye. He was stepping over the dead walker and hopping over the wooden checkout counter.

"Stealing from the cash register?" she asked casually, making her way over.

"Nope, stealing smokes," he answered her.

She watched him throw a few packs of Marlboro and Camel cigarettes in his bag and turned back to face her.

"Ya done already?"

"Yep," she raised her overfilling bag for him to see. He hopped back over the counter and moved past her and on to an appliance isle. Layna sat her bag on the counter, watching everyone frantically running around the small store floor. A noise outside made her whirl around. She peeked her head out the door and into the bright sunlight. A truck was pulling into the parking lot.

"Hey guys!" she yelled "Somebody just pulled up in a truck."

She felt a pang of fear as a thought ran through her mind. 'What if it was Merle and Ed?'

Daryl made it to her first. He peered out the doorway beside her. The truck was a somewhat rusty, old, white Ford. It pulled in not too far from Daryl's blue truck. The driver's door opened first and a man stepped out. Her breathing relaxed when she realized it wasn't Merle. The man was wearing a very dirty pair of light denim jeans and an equally dirty white wife beater that showed off his muscled arms. His head was shaved and he had a pistol stuck in his jeans.

"Get back in the store, Layna," Daryl growled, startling her.

Layna didn't move, she was too busy watching a second man climb out of the passenger side. The second man was wearing a blood stained white t-shirt and black denim jeans. He was a lot thicker than the first and he had short brown hair. Both men looked at Merle's motorcycle in the back of Daryl's truck before looking their way. The first man looked up and locked eyes with her. She turned back into the store, meeting Rick and Shane face to face. She backed up against the wooden counter, waiting to see what these men wanted. Everyone else stopped what they were doing and made their way back to the front of the store.

"Who the hell are you?" Daryl growled. Layna could see the two men approaching him, Rick, and Shane. She could see Rick's hand resting on his pistol. These men looked intimidating and they knew it.

"Dillon," the bald and buffer man said.

Now that he was closer, she could see he looked like he could have been Mexican. His skin was tanner than the average white guy's. A scar on his face caught her attention. It ran down his right cheek, down to his chin. It was obviously a very old wound.

"And this is Matt," he said pointing back at the other man.

"What do you want?" Rick asked harshly.

"Just lookin for supplies man," Dillon said cautiously. "Mind if we come in and stock up?"

Daryl and Shane looked back at Rick, waiting for Rick's response.

Rick turned back to Layna and everyone else standing in the store.

"Yeah, we're done. Let us get out of your way first," Rick answered. "Get your stuff everybody."

Daryl, Rick, and Shane turned to get their things when the men backed off and stood away from the door. Dillon's eyes met hers once again, through the window this time. Layna picked up her things and headed for the door behind Rick, Shane, and Daryl. The men gave off a strange vibe, but they made no attempt to threaten Rick, Shane, or Daryl so she took a deep breath and walked out.

"Damn, ya'll got lucky," Dillon teased as he scratched the scar on his face.

Layna could feel his eyes watching her as she passed.

"And how would that be?" Shane spat.

"Ya'll got a group full of women, hell, all I got is Matt here."

Layna's body tensed and Daryl, Rick, and Shane stopped in their tracks. Everyone else filed out of the store slowly, and backed away from the men.

"Well, we're done here," Rick announced. "Get back in the vehicles, everybody."

"Oh whoa hold up," Dillon said suddenly. "It's not friendly to just leave like that?"

"Well we're in a hurry," Rick snorted.

Dillon's eyes met hers again. "What's your name sweetheart?"

Rick, Daryl, and Shane turned to look at her.

Layna froze. She figured it was best not to say so she looked away from the man.

"She's real pretty ain't she Matt? Ain't seen one that pretty in a while," the man continued.

"Sure is," Matt answered, speaking for the first time.

Layna stepped closer to Daryl.

"Just Fuck off," Daryl grunted at the men.

"Chill, I was just giving your lil lady here a compliment," Dillon said as he flicked his tongue over his bottom lip.

"Why are you all so quiet?" Dillon asked with a laugh. "We don't want no trouble. Ya'll need two extra men?"

"No we don't," Shane snapped. "Got enough already."

* * *

Daryl stared at the two men. They were up to something. The way the guy with the scar stared at Layna was really pissing him off.

"Sure we can't strike up some kinda deal or something?" Dillon asked again.

"No deals," Rick replied gruffly. "Why don't you two go in the store and we'll leave."

Daryl knew Rick was being careful because both the men had guns. He could imagine the men pulling their guns out as soon as they turned their backs on them.

"Come on, Matt," Dillon muttered. "Let's just get our shit. Maybe we'll see you all again soon?"

Daryl thought his remark sounded too much like a threat.

Dillon and Matt headed for the store doorway, but Dillon turned back around.

"I'll definitely see you later, sweetheart," he said as he winked Layna's way.

"Just shut up asshole!" Daryl snarled at the smiling man. He wanted to pull his crossbow off his back and shoot an arrow through the bastard, but he didn't want them to pull out their guns.

"Better keep an eye on her, somebody might just steal her," He said, addressing Daryl now.

Layna's hand touched his bare arm, surprising him. "Come on Daryl, Let's just go," she said nervously.

The men walked into the store so they made they run for it.

Daryl watched behind him nervously as he walked back to the truck, with Layna at his side. She climbed in and they both laid their bags in the middle of the seat. All of the group pulled out of the parking lot within seconds.

"Stupid assholes," Daryl grunted as he looked in the rearview mirror once they got back on the road. The men had walked back out of the store and were watching them leave.

He looked back at Layna, she was staring straight ahead. Layna was like a magnet for creeps.

Being pretty when everything went to shit definitely didn't seem like an advantage, he decided. If anything it made you a bigger target now. You just couldn't trust anyone anymore.


	18. Chapter 18

Layna watched the blur of trees out the truck window. The run in at the store with those men had left her uneasy once again. People were proving to be more dangerous than the walkers themselves. She never would have thought the world would come to this.

"I guess this is it," Daryl said as the white truck and RV in front of them pulled into a gravel driveway. It was a one story brick house, nothing fancy.

"You alright?" Daryl asked as he stopped the truck in front of the house.

Layna nodded. "I'm just tired. That's all."

It was the most frequent lie Layna told, even before the outbreak.

Layna looked out the window. There were kid toys scattered in the yard close by a swing set, and the porch had a swing on it too. It looked like the average southern home. She opened her door and grabbed the supplies she'd packed from the store.

* * *

Daryl walked through the door and into the fairly large living room. There were two couches and a recliner, along with a few rocking chairs placed around the brick fireplace. Everyone laid their supplies in piles and helped carry everything else in.

"This is beautiful," Carol said as she sat down on the couch.

"Do they have running water?" Layna asked, making her way to the kitchen.

Daryl shrugged. "I don't know if the water would still be on or not."

She turned on the faucet and gasped. "Yes we do!"

"Yeah, there's an electric well out back," Rick said. "That's where the water's comin from."

Daryl walked through the rest of the house. There was one bathroom, and two bedrooms down the hall. It was strange walking through a stranger's house. He felt like an intruder.

"Wonder how old they were," Layna's voice made him turn. "I need to find some more clothes."

He watched her stop in the first bedroom's doorway. She stood as if frozen in place. Daryl walked over and peeked in. It was a kid's room. Toys lay scattered on the carpet. She walked past him to the next room, and went in. He followed her there too. He was just as curious as she was. This room looked like the parent's bedroom. It was very neat and everything matched a blue and brown color scheme. Layna opened the closet and looked at the woman's clothes. She held out a shirt, and groaned.

"Looks like everything's a large."

She hung the shirt back and stepped in front of a mirror hanging on the wall. He watched her look at her reflection. She rubbed at a few specks of blood and dirt before examining the now very faint purple bruises on her neck.

"I hope we're really safe here," She sighed.

* * *

Layna sat in the living room with everyone else after all of the supplies were brought in. Everyone was talking about the creeps they'd left behind at the store.

"I think we need to park the Vehicles behind the house. If they see them they'll know it's us," Shane announced. "We definitely don't need them busting through here."

"It'll be pretty hard to hide the RV, but I guess we could try and conceal it," Dale responded.

"Who's going to sleep where?" Carl interrupted, clearly not understanding the importance of the current topic.

"We don't know yet Carl," Lori said irritably. "We'll worry about that later.

* * *

Daryl helped the men hide the vehicles at an angle behind the house so they wouldn't be seen from the road, while the women cooked in the kitchen. They'd definitely gotten lucky that the electricity hadn't gone out in this area yet, he thought to himself. Daryl looked around the yard. There was definitely nothing keeping walkers from stumbling through here like they did everywhere else. He just hoped the house was strong enough to withstand a few dozen if it had too. Like everyone else, he was tired of running. They were all being worn down.

"Food's ready," Jacqui called from the back door.

Daryl followed everyone back into the house. The overwhelming smell of food made his mouth water.

"We threw a bunch of stuff together," Lori stated as she lifted the lids off the pots on the stove. "We have spaghetti here," she motioned toward a pot, "And some noodle soup here."

"We didn't have chicken," Carol explained. "There were plenty of noodles in the panty though."

Daryl waited for most everyone to fix their plates and bowls before he went up. The living room and kitchen became crowded quickly. He fixed a bowl of spaghetti and grabbed a glass of water. Lori, Rick, Carl, and Sophia sat at the small bar while Carol, Jacqui, Dale, and Andrea sat at the kitchen table. Everyone else was in the living room, including Layna. She was sitting on the farthest couch by herself, eating slowly. He thought about sitting next to her for a second but decided to eat outside. He knew he'd be more comfortable alone on the swing anyway.

* * *

Layna ate quietly while everyone else chatted like everything was okay. Andrea seemed to be the only other one who was still suffering from their losses last night. Daryl took his food outside and she was beginning to wish she'd done the same. Layna finished her plate and took it back to the kitchen. She looked out the window. The dark was slowly settling in.

She picked up the bag that held her soap and stuff along with a t-shirt to change into and headed to the bathroom to take her long awaited shower. She stopped in front of the mirror, only looking for a second before jumping into the shower.

She let the hot water cascade down her sore and tired body. Back home, her shower had been the place where she let her emotions finally surface. She could feel the tears in her eyes, but she didn't hold them back. Her salty tears mixed with the warm water running down her cheeks. She watched the blood and dirty water go down the drain. Everything was going to be a struggle now. If it wasn't running from walkers it would be running from people. Dangers were being thrown at them from all directions. She remembered learning about Charles Darwin in Science class. He believed survival of the fittest was how people and everything else evolved into what it was today. The strongest and most capable flourished while everything weak died out. Were they being tested now to see if they could evolve?

She finally got out, after she washed her hair, shaved her legs, and washed the blood and dirt off of her body. She pulled the towel around her and stepped back in front of the mirror. Her bruises were now fading, but she still didn't think she looked like herself. Dark circles were becoming evident. She pulled out a new toothbrush and brushed her teeth before slipping back on her bra, underwear, and a man's white t-shirt she'd found in one of the drawers. She hoped they found some more clothes soon.

* * *

When Daryl was done eating, he took his bowl back in and went back out to his truck parked behind the house. He sat inside of it. He felt torn because he knew he didn't belong with these people. He should be with Merle.

Daryl stayed outside until darkness totally fell and his eyes adjusted to the moonlight. He listened to the crickets chirping in the woods, until he finally decided to go in. He figured everyone would be asleep by now.

He walked back up the porch steps and barely touched the door knob when he saw her.

"Shit girl! What are you doin out here? It's late."

Layna was sitting on the porch swing, in the dark. The moonlight illuminated her face a little. He could see that her hair was wet, probably from her shower. She was wearing what looked like a man's large white t-shirt.

"Couldn't sleep," She said softly.

"Well, it ain't safe out here."

"It's not safe anywhere anymore, Daryl."

Daryl walked over and propped himself up against the porch railing in front of the swing.

"It's safe here fer now, in the house I mean."

"Yeah, until those weirdoes from the store catch up to us," she muttered.

"They ain't goin too," he grumbled. "They didn't follow us."

She shrugged, "They could have."

"Even if they did, it'd be two of em against all of us," he said. "They'd get their asses handed to em."

Daryl pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and pulled one out. He lit it and took a puff.

"Hey, Daryl?"

"Humph?" he grunted in reply.

"Why'd that scar guy assume I was your lady?"

Daryl nearly choked on his cigarette. "I don't know, I didn't notice," he lied.

Layna went silent again before replying. "Well that's what he said."

Daryl had noticed, he'd just ignored it at the moment. He had thought maybe the man would back off if he thought she was his, but it hadn't made a difference.

"I'm goin in," Daryl finally said as he stomped his cigarette on the concrete porch. "I'm gonna get up early and hunt in the morning. We need real food."

Layna watched him stomp out the cigarette and nodded when he looked back at her.

"You still stayin out here?"

"No, I guess I'm coming in," she said softly. Daryl lead the way back in the house. He waited as she slipped in and quietly shut the door back, careful not to wake everyone sleeping in the living room. Now that she was in the dim light of a nightlight above the kitchen sink, he noticed the large white t-shirt looked like a dress on her, almost reaching her knees. He wasn't even sure if she was wearing shorts on underneath. She turned the lock on the door knob and fixed the chain lock before turning back around. She walked past him and to the empty couch on the farthest wall. Daryl saw a few extra blankets laying on the kitchen table so he picked them up. He wasn't sure where he was going to sleep. He figured the two bedrooms were taken already so he stepped over the sleeping bodies and laid the blankets on the only available space that just happened to be right by the couch Layna was on. He sat down and pulled off his boots. Layna tossed a throw pillow into his lap and rolled over so that her back was to him, pulling a blanket up to her chin.

He laid back on his back and propped his head on the pillow. He laid still, looking up at the ceiling while he wondered what his next move should be. He thought about just just getting up and leaving in the morning. No one would stop him. It's not like they cared about him. The two cops were blaming him for what happened to Layna anyway. What was it about her that made him think about her so damn much? He knew it had to be his guilty conscience. It was all Merle's fault. Here he was dealing with Merle's crap while he knew Merle was probably sleeping soundly, if he'd found a safe place that is. Part of him wished they hadn't found Layna in the woods that day, but if they hadn't who would have? He thought back to the two men at the store. They'd threatened that someone might just steal her from him. She wasn't his, but it still bothered the crap out of him. That was the only reason he could think of to stay with the group. Sure she had the cops watching her back but they were watching out for a lot of people already. If he left and found out something else happened to her, he would feel even worse.

* * *

Sleep didn't come easily for Layna. She laid awake for what seemed like hours, debating on whether or not to get back up. She had a nagging feeling that when she did fall asleep, the nightmares would claim her subconscious once again. She didn't get up though, she was scared that she would wake Daryl who had for some reason decided to sleep right beside her couch. A snore erupted from the other side of the room suddenly, making her sit up. She strained her eyes to the dark corner of the room, trying to pinpoint who the snore had come from.

"He needs to shut the hell up," Daryl grumbled from beneath her.

"Who is it?" Layna whispered.

"T-dog."

Layna groaned and laid back on the couch just as he let out another snore.

Daryl sat up. "Hey throw me another pillow," he motioned to her.

Layna handed him one and watched as he chunked it at the sleeping mound of blankets Layna knew was T-dog.

"What's going on?" T-dog mumbled as he sat up.

Layna stifled a laugh.

"You're fuckin sawing logs over there! Shut up or get up." Daryl muttered angrily.

T-dog laid back down. He was obviously extremely tired because he didn't even mutter a comeback.


	19. Chapter 19

Time passed slowly for Layna during the group's stay at the brick house. They had just started their fourth day but it felt like the fourth week. Everyone had their own duties and somehow Layna had gotten stuck watching Carl and Sophia which meant she stayed in the house most of the day. Sure she had grown to love Sophia and of course she loved Carl, but taking care of kids had never been her forte. She usually found herself sitting in the living room pretending to listen while Carl and Sophia rambled on. Lori, Carol, Jacqui, and Andrea had taken on doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, and sorting through useful supplies the men had been bringing in. When Lori wasn't doing her new duties she was drilling Layna about her strange attitude and asking her why she wasn't acting like herself. She was shocked that Rick and Shane had kept their promise, but they were busy most of the time. They spent their days planning if they weren't going out and scavenging for supplies. T-dog and Glen usually went along with them and sometimes Daryl did too. Dale always kept watch, taking shifts with T-dog and Glen if they were available. Layna hadn't been asked to go anymore. The men at the store had pretty much sealed her fate of being locked away in the house for the rest of her days. Rick and Shane seemed to think she was going to be whisked away by some stranger the next time she left the yard. Sitting around the house was keeping her anything but safe. It left her victim to her own thoughts, emotions, and bad memories. Daryl seemed to have gotten the best deal when duties were being handed out. He always left to go hunting early in the morning if he wasn't needed and stayed out nearly all day. If he wasn't hunting he was still outside and away from the bustle of people inside the house. They'd hadn't spoken much since their first day here. They exchanged a few casual words here and there, usually before going to sleep since he was still sleeping on the floor right beside the lumpy couch she'd claimed.

Layna got off the couch and headed toward the bathroom, feeling her still damp hair in the bun on her head. She'd made it a routine to take a shower every night. It usually ended up with her crying her eyes out and standing in front of the mirror until the puffy redness disappeared from her eyes. She changed into her only pair of jeans that had been washed for her during the night, and a white tank top. The tank top had been Amy's. Andrea gave her quite a few shirts that were Amy's. They'd been sitting in the RV ever since that night they'd escaped from the quarry. Layna pulled her damp hair out of the bun and let it fall to her shoulders. The dampness, along with the position it was in all night left it with a slight curl. Layna had made up her mind while laying awake last night that she wasn't just going to sit around today so she left the bathroom and headed for the kitchen.

* * *

Daryl left out of the house early as usual. Everyone assumed their usual duties and he was left to himself. He figured he could go hunting again but decided that he would make a few arrows instead. He was down to just a few and didn't want to be caught in need of any more. He walked to the truck and pulled out his hunting knife, stopping to look at Merle's motorcycle for a while. He was beginning to wonder if he'd ever see him again. He knew though that if he did run into him again Merle would probably be more excited to see the bike than him. It probably need cranking. Maybe he'd take it for a ride later.

Daryl took his crossbow and the knife and headed for the woods.

"Running off again?" Daryl turned back to see Layna walking toward him from the back porch. He noticed she had her hair down for the first time since they'd been here. He hadn't seen her much lately and when he had she was sitting and staring blankly in the living room. At least she was safe.

"I ain't runnin off," he said as he watched her continue his way.

"Oh whatever, you run off every day. Mind if I tag along today?" She asked hopefully.

"It's safer in the house."

"Yeah I'd know, I've been in there for like three days straight," she grumbled back.

Daryl turned and continued toward the woods.

"I'll take that as a yes?" She jogged to him and fell into the same stride.

"If I say no you're just gonna go do something stupid ain't ya?"

She laughed.

They walked into the shade of the thick woods, and he scanned the ground looking for sticks that he could whittle into arrows.

"What are you looking for?" Layna whispered, as she looked at the ground.

"Sticks, he answered. "I'm making arrows."

"Oh," she murmured.

Daryl stopped and picked up a few, noticing Layna watching intently. She studied the sticks in his hand before scanning the ground herself. She stooped down and picked up a few herself.

"Are these okay?" She held them out for him to see.

He nodded back at her. She immediately went back to scanning the ground. He had to admit, she wasn't as aggravating to be around as the other people of the group. She seemed to be naturally quiet and understood that you don't have to tromp through the woods like a herd of cattle. They walked in silence for a while. Daryl had quickly become familiar with these woods and could recognize the open field that must have been used as a deer plot up ahead.

"Is that a deer stand?" Layna whispered, pointing to the small building in the far corner.

"Yeah, found it the other day," Daryl answered. "I guess this was a deer plot."

Daryl caught sight of a squirrel as it ran from them and jumped onto an oak tree a few feet in front of them.

He instinctively raised his bow, taking a quick glance Layna's way. Her eyes were focused on the squirrel too.

He let the arrow fly, but the squirrel had already made its quick escape to higher branches. The arrow stuck in the tree, exactly where the squirrel had been.

"Dang, So close," Layna stated.

Daryl jerked the arrow out of the tree.

" Can I shoot it?"

Daryl looked back at her, surprised that she'd just asked.

"I've shot a regular bow before but not a crossbow," she continued.

"Ya really wanna try?" Daryl asked. "I don't think you can pull it back."

Layna nodded. "I'm stronger than I look."

He looked at the small framed girl before him. She didn't look like the same girl sulking in the living room anymore. Now that she was in the woods, away from the other cares of the world, she seemed happier.

Daryl handed it out to her, obviously surprising her. She hurriedly tossed her few sticks on the ground and took it from him.

She looked at it and then back at him.

"Um do I pull it up here?"

"No," Daryl took it back from her and pretended to pull it back. "Like this."

She took it back from him and attempted to pull it back.

"Ughh," she groaned as she pulled. Daryl shook his head. He knew she couldn't do it. She got it almost pulled back all the way before she let it slip back.

"It's harder than it looks," she said with a laugh. "You do it. I still wanna shoot it though."

Daryl took it back from her and pulled it back. "Here."

She reluctantly took it back in her hands, pointing it in away from him.

She held it up close to her face, aiming. He was pretty sure she was aiming at a small pine tree.

"Whoa, hold up. You're holdin it wrong."

She lowered it back down and craned her neck to look where to put her hands.

"Shoot," she groaned. Daryl bit his tongue to hold back a snicker.

"Hold it back up," He ordered as he made his way behind her.

She slowly raised it back, looking over her shoulder at him. He reached around her and took her small wrists in his hands, scooting them up to the right positions.

He felt awkward as soon as he reached around her. He was almost surprised she hadn't pulled away. As soon as he leaned in, he took a breath, inhaling the sweet smell of her hair. It smelled like fruit, maybe strawberries. He quickly stepped away from her.

'Why the hell did I do that?' he asked himself. He knew good and well he could've showed her where to put her hands from just standing beside her.

He stepped to the side, watching her concentrate as she looked through the sights. She took a deep breath and held it in, pulling the trigger and letting the arrow fly. It stuck in the bark of the pine tree.

"Well I'll be damned," Daryl muttered under his breath.

She lowered the crossbow to her side and turned back to face him. She was grinning from ear to ear.

Layna held the crossbow back out at Daryl, and he took it back from her.

"Lucky shot," he muttered. "Bet you couldn't do it again."

"I told you I could do it. Daddy always told me I had the steadiest hand he knew," she shot back.

"Alright alright, don't get a big head. Just get that arrow and let's get outta here," Daryl snapped back.

* * *

Layna jogged over and grabbed the arrow with one hand. She'd planned on casually pulling it out but it didn't go so easily. She reached up and grasped it with both hands. It still wouldn't budge.

Daryl laughed. He actually laughed. She'd never heard him do that before. He was always gruff, serious, or sarcastic when he talked with her. She looked back over her shoulder. He'd hung the crossbow on his back and was standing with his arms crossed, watching her.

"Don't you dare laugh at me Mr I couldn't hit a squirrel that was right in front of me," she snapped.

"I know you aren't doggin on me now," he shot back.

She turned back to the arrow when she saw him heading her way. She tugged on it harder, trying to get it undone before he got there.

He bumped her with his shoulder, making her lose her grip on the arrow. He reached up with one hand and pulled it out as easily as if it was embedded in butter.

"I loosened it," Layna muttered as she turned back toward the way they'd come and picked up the sticks she'd collected.

"Like hell ya did."

She rolled her eyes. He caught up with her in just a minute and walked beside her. She felt strangely safe around him. The way he'd wrapped his arms around her to move her hands had really surprised her. She'd barely been able to concentrate on the crossbow in her hands. His arms were so strong.

'Stop it Layna!' her mind screamed at her.

'You're only hanging out with him because he makes you feel safe and it gives you something to do,' she silently told herself. It was one gesture and now she was second guessing her feelings. She never acted like this. There was no way she could let herself develop feelings for the brother of her attacker. That would be plain wrong.


	20. Chapter 20

_Author's Note: Thanks for reading and please continue to review!_

When they walked out of the woods, Daryl saw Rick, Shane, and Lori talking heatedly by the house. Rick pointed their way, causing Shane and Lori to turn around. They looked pissed.

"Layna, you could've mentioned where you were going ya know," Shane said angrily, not hiding the annoyance in his voice. "How the hell are we supposed to protect you when you're running off without telling anybody where you're goin?"

Layna groaned.

"We looked everywhere for you," Lori said. "What happened to keeping an eye on Carl and Sophia?"

Layna handed the few sticks in her hands to Daryl and he took them. He used it as an excuse to make his escape from the heated argument he figured was coming. He laid them on the tailgate of the truck and turned back.

"I can't stay in the house forever. I can do whatever I want!" Layna threw her hands in the air. "You're not my parents."

"Oh real mature," Shane spat.

Daryl watched as Shane and Lori both argued with her. Rick stood quietly by for a while before stepping in.

"Okay, this yelling isn't helping anyone," he said. "Layna, they're only doing this because they care. Just check in next time alright? I think it would be a good idea for everybody to get into that habit."

He watched as Layna shrugged and walked past them, into the house. Daryl knew Shane and Lori were both very protective and nosey. He could only imagine what it must be like to have them both on your case at once.

* * *

Layna went in the house to escape from Lori and Shane. They treated her like she was five years old and she wasn't fond of it. When she walked into the living room she saw Carol sitting on her knees in front of the television, evidently trying to get it to work. Carl and Sophia were sitting close by, chatting excitedly. Layna had already tried a couple of times to get it to work, it just wouldn't pick up anything. Obviously the satellites and things were down. Glen was sitting by himself on the couch so Layna walked over and sat beside him.

"I'm guessing Lori, Rick, and Shane caught up with you right?" he asked.

"Uh yeah, they did. I was with Daryl."

"Oh," Glen said. "You and him are close right?"

Layna stared back at him. "Well…I don't know…why?"

"Can you please try to explain to him that I'm not from China?"

Layna let out a laugh of relief. "Why?"

"If he calls me Chinaman one more time, I don't know what I'm gonna do," Glen said without even cracking a smile.

Layna laughed at his seriousness and Carol did too as she turned from the TV.

"I'm serious," Glen continued.

"I'll talk to him," Layna assured him. "I promise."

Thunder suddenly boomed outside, making everyone jump.

* * *

Daryl made his way inside after he covered Merle' motorcycle with a tarp one of the guys had brought back from one of their scavenging trips. It was beginning to sprinkle now and the sky had turned dark. He stepped inside, and regretted it immediately. It was too many people. He looked toward the living room and saw Layna sitting on the couch beside Glen. Glen was laughing and sitting pretty close to her. Layna ran her hand through her hair and let her hand fall back in her lap. He'd noticed she did that quite often, especially when she was talking with someone. She was smiling at Glen now.

He was beginning to wonder if there was something there that he'd just never noticed. Hell, Chinaman was probably not much older than her. It would make sense that he would set his sights on her. She was the only one around his age now that Amy was gone and she was pretty. That kid would have to be blind or just gay to not be attracted to her. Daryl turned and walked back outside, sitting on the swing. He couldn't stop thinking about Glen and Layna sitting on the couch laughing together. If she did like him, then good for her, she deserved to be happy after everything she'd been through. It was bugging him though. He couldn't stop the nagging feeling that Glen just wasn't good enough for her. Brave and protecting weren't the first words that came to his mind when he thought about Glen. Layna needed someone strong enough to take care of her in this new world. Thunder cracked, interrupting him from his thoughts. It was beginning to rain harder, pounding on the tin roof.

He realized how stupid he was being. If Merle knew he was thinking like that, he'd never let him forget it. Merle would tell him he was turning into her bitch, or the group's just because he was still sticking around them.

The door opened and he turned just as Layna stepped out.

"Oh, I didn't know you were out here," she said, lingering in the doorway. He looked away from her and back out at the rain.

* * *

Layna stood in the doorway, debating on whether or not to go back inside. She could never really tell if he was in a bad mood or not and she hated to be a bother. The last thing she wanted him to think of her was an aggravating tag-a-long. She figured he'd come outside to escape everyone inside, the very thing she was doing.

"You're going to get struck by lightening out here," she said as she stepped out and shut the door behind her.

"Yeah, my luck that'd be how I'd go out. Not by some walker just some random lightenin storm.," he muttered.

He sounded to be in his more talkative of moods so she walked over and sat on the railing in front of the swing.

She looked out at the yard and listened to the rain on the roof.

"So, Glen wanted me to talk to you," she said, looking back his way. He looked back at her blankly.

"You know, the Chinaman?" she asked teasingly.

"I know who he is," Daryl shot back.

"Well, he's not from China."

"Why the hell do I care where he's from?"

"He's tired of you calling him Chinaman. He's from Korea."

"Don't make no difference to me," Daryl grumbled.

"Call him Glen next time, it'd make his day," she said with a smile.

He shrugged his shoulders. Layna turned back to look at the rain.

Okay, maybe he's not in a good mood, she thought.

"You and China- I mean Glen," Daryl trailed off. "You like him?"

Layna jerked her head back to face him.

"Do I like him?"

Daryl shrugged. "I saw ya'll laughin. Just looked like you two are close."

"He's a nice guy, but I don't like him like that." She was shocked that he would assume she liked Glen just because she talked to him.

"Why don't ya?" he asked.

"Why would I?"

"You lost a boyfriend during all of this or somethin?"

"No," she said, trying to understand where all of this had come from.

"Well he likes you," Daryl continued.

"How would you know?" Layna asked. "You didn't even know he wasn't Chinese."

"I just know," he answered.

Layna stared back at Daryl.

"What are you doing Daryl? Having a shot at playing matchmaker or something?"

"No, he ain't good enough for you anyways."

Layna smiled and looked back into the yard. "Well why would I be looking for a soul mate during a time like this anyway?"

* * *

Daryl watched her as she stared into the rain. So maybe he was wrong about her and that kid. He was a little relieved, he had to wonder though if she was being standoffish toward the idea of relationships because of what Merle did. He'd always heard that rape was traumatic, and he knew it was wrong. It would explain her standoffish attitude that Lori was always calling her out on. Ugh there he was thinking about it once again. He was never going to be able to forget that he let it happen to her.

The rain finally slacked up and then quit. Daryl got up from the swing and headed off the porch, into the yard.

"Where are you going?" Layna asked, watching him from the porch railing.

"Goin to take a ride," he answered.

"A ride?"

"Yeah on Merle's motorcycle."

"Oh, I've never ridden a motorcycle before." She was still watching him.

The tone in her voice almost made it seem like she was waiting for an invitation.

"Well what are you waitin for?" he realized after he said it that it had come out pretty rude. "A ride?" he added, saying it more teasingly.

"I though you'd never ask," she said with a smirk, but she didn't move from her seat on the railing.

Daryl stopped. "You're just all about tryin new things today huh?"

"Oh yeah. First the crossbow and then a motorcycle. They were both on my bucket list ya know," she said sarcastically.

"Well bet you didn't think you'd cross off two in one day now did ya?" he asked her as he walked on past the porch.

"Wait, what?" he heard her yell.

* * *

Layna jumped off the railing. Had he just offered her a ride?

She ran around the house and caught up with him. "Don't you think you should let your guardians know first?" he asked as she rounded the corner of the house.

Layna smiled back at him. "That'd probably be a good idea."

She ran back inside the house and poked her head in the door. "I'm goin out for a while, with Daryl again."

Shane looked up at her from the kitchen table where he was showing Carl how to tie a knot of some sort.

"Be careful," he ordered. "Are you going back out in the woods?"

"No," she answered. "We're goin for a ride."

Shane raised his eyebrows. "A ride?"

"Yeah, but we aren't stopping anywhere so you don't have to worry about me," she said as she ducked back out and shut the door. She'd decided against telling them about the motorcycle. If not Shane, then Lori would have thrown a fit and not let her go. Oh well, they'd find out soon. By the time she made it back to the backyard, Daryl was standing beside the bike. He climbed on and she awkwardly walked over to him.

"Ya nervous or somethin?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Uh no," she lied. "Of course not." She threw one leg over the seat, putting her hand on his shoulder when she almost lost her balance. She jerked it back automatically. This was a lot more awkward than she thought it would be. She was beginning to think about just getting off and forgetting the whole thing. To be honest, she didn't think he would even offer her a ride in the first place.

"Watch your legs," he said as he turned a little. "Put em here so you don't get burnt by the exhaust pipes."

She repositioned her feet. "Yeah I definitely don't wanna get burnt," she rambled nervously. "The first and only time I rode a four wheeler I got burnt."

"Well, ya better not this time," he muttered.

Layna placed her hands on her thighs. Holding on was going to be a bit awkward.

He started the bike. "Yer gonna fall off!" he yelled over the roar of the bike, as he looked over his shoulder once again at her.

Layna scooted closer and hurriedly wrapped her arms around him, clasping her hands together against his lower stomach. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She wanted to get back off. She didn't understand why she was always so eager to try new things when she knew she'd change her mind when it was too late to go back. She'd never reluctantly gotten this physically close to someone before. She immediately forgot about their closeness when they started moving. She was much more worried about hanging on and not falling off.

* * *

Daryl regretted offering her a ride by the time she climbed on. She was obviously nervous and it was making him nervous as hell too. But it was too late now. Her body was wrapped around his and her arms around his stomach while they pulled out of the gravel driveway and into the road. Her grip tightened on him as he picked up the pace. They rode down a few empty country roads, before her grip loosened a bit. She seemed to be getting more comfortable. He had to give it to her. She didn't let her fear get in the way of actually trying something. He figured she'd be one of those all talk kinda girls but she wasn't.

It began raining again and as it got harder it hit them in the face. With the speed they were going it felt like glass hitting his eyes. Layna's grip tightened on him and he felt her face pressing against his back and the crook of his neck, obviously using him as a shield. As much as he hated to, he turned the motorcycle around and headed back to the brick house. He hated to admit it but he was pretty sure he could've ridden all day with her holding on to him. He tried to shake the thoughts of her tight grip out of his mind and focus on the road but the way she kept burrowing her face into his neck was making it almost impossible.


	21. Chapter 21

_Author's Note: Please continue to read and review! Things are about to start heating up!_

By the time they pulled back into the gravel driveway of their temporary home, they were both soaking wet. Layna could see a few people, including Rick, Shane, and Lori standing on the front porch, watching as they pulled back around to the backyard. Daryl stopped the motorcycle and Layna climbed off. Her legs felt a little shaky but she figured it was just from her nerves.

"That was actually fun," she proclaimed as she watched Daryl climb off too.

"What'd ya think it wouldn't be?"

"No, I mean I didn't know what to expect," she explained.

It was beginning to rain harder now so Daryl walked over and grabbed the tarp, throwing it over the motorcycle.

"Layna! What the hell? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Layna turned around to face Lori who was coming around the corner of the house.

Daryl looked up from the bike and caught her eye.

"I thought ya told em you were riding?"

Layna bit her bottom lip, turning back to face him.

"Well, not exactly."

"What the hell Layna?" Lori yelled, throwing her hands up.

"It's not a big deal Lori, I'm still alive, she muttered as she walked past her and toward the back porch.

Shane came through the door, meeting her face to face.

"Funny how you failed to mention you were riding that thing huh?" he snorted. "Hey Daryl, you think it's a good thing riding that thing around, bringing every walker for miles?"

Layna watched Daryl look back up at Shane.

"We ain't even seen one walker since we been here, I think we're alright," he grumbled.

Shane turned his attention back to her again.

"Why the hell are you causing all this trouble? You know Lori is stressed out already. Damn we all are. Why do you wanna make her have to worry about you too?" he hissed, leaning in closer to her.

"Am I gonna have to tell her what really happened to you so she'll be able to talk some sense into you? I don't understand how you can act reckless after that happened?" Shane whispered gruffly in her ear.

"No Shane!" Layna gasped. "That'll only cause more problems. Don't you dare."

* * *

"Lori and Shane overreact." Daryl listened as Layna complained. "I wish they could just calm down like Rick and get off my back."

"Were you and Lori really close before this?"

"Not really, I think it's the age difference. I mean we talked but we never really had that sisterly relationship," Layna said sadly.

Daryl looked back out at the rain. It was raining even harder now. They had just gotten through eating more of the random foods Carol, Lori, and Jacqui cooked up from the pantry. Layna had beat him to the swing on the porch, getting as far away from her sister and Shane as she could. He surprised both himself and her when he sat beside her on it.

"She was always busy with her new life, marriage, and kid while I was busy with mine," she continued

Lightening suddenly flashed, lighting up the darkened yard and making Layna fall silent. Daryl stole a look at Layna. She looked tired in the dim porch light. The cool wind began picking up, blowing her hair away from her face. He watched her pull her legs onto the swing and hug them tight.

He remembered how her arms felt around his waist but tried to toss the thoughts aside. She was like half his age for Christ sakes.

"I wonder if things will ever go back to normal," She said softly, breaking his thoughts.

Daryl shrugged. "I don know."

He really didn't think after all of this there would be a normal to go back too.

"Did you lose a lot of people?" she asked. "Because of the outbreak?"

"Not really, just Merle, but I don't know if he's really lost," he answered her after thinking a while. There really hadn't been anyone else he was close too. He usually just spent all of his time with Merle if he wasn't at the bar across town or at work.

"You?" he asked.

She nodded. "I guess so. Family."

"And a bunch of boyfriends?" Daryl asked, not even really thinking.

She shook her head. "Nope."

He looked back at her, noticing how she had seemed to get uncomfortable.

"How come?" he pressed on.

"Because.. Oh I don't know. I'm going in, before I get struck by lightening." she got up from the swing and stepped over his legs, heading for the door. Daryl watched her go in. She'd shut down on him again. She clammed up on him when he mentioned past boyfriends. Oh well, obviously she had things she didn't wanna talk about. He knew as good as anybody that everyone had their shares of skeletons in their closet so to speak.

* * *

Layna went inside and took a quick shower, quickly retreating to her couch. She wanted to go to sleep while it was still raining. It always helped her fall asleep quicker. The soothing sound of rain was always a great sleep aid.

_Layna sat frozen on the couch as she saw a figure walk by the kitchen window. Another one followed the first, casting a shadow into the dim light of the kitchen floor. Everyone else was still asleep, so she carefully stepped off the couch. Her bare feet hit the waded up covers where Daryl usually laid. He wasn't there. She tiptoed over to the window where she saw the figures. She just knew she was going to peer through and see walkers swarming the house. She made it to the light switch and turned on the porch light, stopping to calm her breathing before looking through the window. She looked through the window and saw nothing. The porch and swing was empty. Suddenly a scarred face jumped from below the window sill and grinned at her. She screamed, stumbling backwards against the counter top of the bar. How had the men from the store found them? Strong hands suddenly grabbed her shoulders from the other side of the bar._

* * *

"Layna!" Daryl hissed as he reached for her in the darkness. She was screaming, having another nightmare he figured. She'd nearly scared him to death, waking him from his own dreams. The fact that somebody had turned off the lights wasn't making the situation any easier. Daryl climbed onto the edge of the couch, sitting on his knees as he tried to wake her up. She was screaming and gasping.

"Layna! You're dreaming!" He fumbled for both of her arms in the darkness, finally grabbing both of her wrists to keep her from hitting him.

"What the hell's goin on?" he heard T-dog yell. There was the sound of stumbling and crashing as he heard more than one person stumbling around the living room.

"Turn on the fuckin lights! She's having a nightmare!" Daryl yelled over the noise.

Layna was still struggling against him, now kicking her legs.

"Stop it Layna!" he groaned as he pinned her legs to the couch with is knees.

"No stop it!" Layna shrieked suddenly, pulling her arms harder.

"The lights won't come on!" Glen stammered from the kitchen. "Storm must have knocked out the power!"

"Layna it's Daryl, calm the fuck down," Daryl growled. She seemed to be awake now.

She went still underneath him.

Daryl let go of her wrists and eased his weight off her.

"You had a nightmare and the storm knocked out the power." Daryl stood back up and pulled a lighter out of his pocket, flicking it on. The faint glow was just enough to let him see the terror on her face. She was breathing hard.

"Hey Daryl, bring that lighter so we can find some candles or somethin," Andrea's voice said from the kitchen.

* * *

Layna sat up on the couch and watched the faint light Daryl carried make its way across the room.

"What's goin on?" Rick's voice boomed from the hallway. She could hear Lori, Rick, and Shane coming down the hallway. It was chaos. Everyone was talking at once, complaining about not being able to see and some asking what was going on. Layna sat still on the couch, trying to get her breathing under control. She thought she'd woken up from her dream and found herself in another nightmare. She saw candles being lit on the bar and soon they were being passed around, leaving a faint glow all around the kitchen and living room.

"Was that you screaming?" Lori asked worriedly as she sat down beside her, Carl and Sophia at her side.

"I had a nightmare," Layna stammered. "I woke up and I couldn't see."

Lori pulled her into a hug. "It's okay. You're okay now."

Layna looked over Lori's shoulder, noticing Daryl watching her from the kitchen. Ugh, why did she always have to do something embarrassing that made her look helpless?

"Well, the power definitely isn't gonna come back on," Dale complained.

"We can just find another house with power right?" Carol asked nervously.

Rick paced in the kitchen. "I think it's time to move on, but not to another house."

Every turned to look at him. "We can't keep running to another house. They'll all eventually run out of electricity and we're just gonna run into more trouble," he continued.

"Well where are you saying we go Rick?" Shane asked gruffly.

"The CDC," Rick answered. "If there's any government or military left I think they'd be there."

* * *

"Hold up," Daryl interrupted. "Ya think runnin up there in the middle of Atlanta is safer than runnin out here in the country? I ain't goin."

Rick turned to him. "Yeah, we need to find real safety, not like this."

Daryl frowned. Maybe it was time he distanced himself from these people in order to keep himself safe. Going into Atlanta was a suicide mission.

"If we keep running out here it's not telling who we'll run into. There's probably more people like those guys from the store taking shelter out here too. Who knows," Rick said trying to sway his opinion. The room erupted into opinions.

"Calm down," Rick raised his hand. "We'll talk about his in the morning, but if you're staying with me, we're going to the CDC."

* * *

Everyone went back to their sleeping places, acting a lot more uneasy than when they went to sleep in the first place. Daryl was the only one who hadn't settled back down. She watched him pull a chair out from under the kitchen table and sit down next to a few candles on the table. Layna knew she wasn't going to go back to sleep. She sat still and watched the flames flicker on the candles. Daryl pulled a pocket knife out of his pocket and used it to scrape the dirt out from under his fingernails. Layna quietly stepped off the couch and tiptoed to the kitchen table. He looked up as she pulled the chair closest to him out from under the table and sat down.

"I'm sorry about that," she whispered, making sure not to disturb the others who had gone back to bed.

He shrugged. "It's alright." He looked back down at his nails.

"I've never had such vivid nightmares," she murmured, watching him close the knife and put it back in his pocket.

"I shouldn't've grabbed ya, I made it worse," he said, lowering his voice.

She stayed quiet. She didn't wanna lie and say he hadn't scared her even worse at that moment.

"Are you really not going?"

Daryl looked back at her. "I don know."

"I think Rick's right, Daryl. I think we might find help there."

Layna couldn't imagine him parting ways with the group. She didn't want him too.

* * *

Daryl watched the candlelight dance on Layna's face as she leaned in close to him.

"I think you should go with us," she whispered. Daryl looked into her face. Her dark blue eyes were wide open.

That was the last straw. He was rethinking his thoughts about leaving already. He couldn't imagine just walking away and not knowing if she was safe or wondering if something would happen to her. With her saying herself that she wanted him to go, he knew he'd have too.


	22. Chapter 22

_Author's Note: Thanks for reviewing! Please continue!_

Morning came slowly for Daryl. He didn't go back to sleep after his talk with Layna. She eventually went back to her couch but he wasn't sure if she went back to sleep or not. When the morning light began infiltrating through the windows he went outside. The CDC idea didn't seem right to him. What if the government wasn't willing to help them? Daryl loaded Merle's motorcycle back in the truck, using a few boards in the back of the truck to make a ramp.

"Oh so that's how you were getting it in and out of there," Layna's voice made him turn. She was still wearing the oversized white t-shirt she slept in and was standing barefoot in the grass.

He turned back to the truck and slammed the tailgate closed.

"I just came to tell you that Rick said we are probably going to spend at least one more night here, while we get everything together."

Daryl watched her run her hand through her hair. "Why? He sounded pretty eager to get goin last night."

"I know but everybody talked him into waiting. That way we can have plenty of time to gather supplies and siphon gas, just in case we run into trouble."

She turned and walked back toward the house when he didn't say anything else.

She was so different than everyone else. They didn't take time out of their day like she did to tell him what was going on. Her words from last night kept replaying in his mind.

* * *

Layna helped the women pack supplies and food in the vehicles for most of the day. The men were planning a trip to siphon gas and then they would be all set for their trip. She was nervous, not really wanting to leave the house. It had been a safe haven for them for nearly a week and now they were taking a gamble on their trip to the CDC. They all retreated back into the house around lunchtime and ate together, running through the plans and making sure everything was agreed on. Even Daryl stayed in, the first time he'd eaten with the rest of the group. He sat at the kitchen table and Carol sat in between them.

"I'm pretty sure there were gas cans at that store," T-dog explained as they talked about siphoning gas.

"Yeah, I saw some in the back," Shane agreed.

" Well, Shane, you and T-dog up for a trip back there?" Rick asked.

They both nodded. "Those men should have moved on by now," Shane said as he got up from his seat at the bar.

Layna returned her focus back on the small bag of Doritos she was working on finishing.

"Are you going with us?" Carol's gentle voice asked as she looked at Daryl.

Layna looked at him, waiting to see what he said. She was pretty sure she'd talked him into going. She hoped she had.

Daryl looked back up at her. "I reckon."

"Oh, I was thinking you might stay behind because of your brother. Do you think we'll see them again? Merle and Ed I mean?"

Daryl shrugged. "They coulda went anywhere." He stood up, scraping his chair against the linoleum kitchen floor and headed outside. Layna waited a while, listening to the others talk before she went outside. She thought she might find him sitting on the swing but he wasn't there. She walked around the house and saw him sitting on the back porch sharpening the few sticks they'd found the day before. He looked up at her but then back down. She sat down beside him on the steps.

"What are you doin here?" he asked, not looking up from the stick he was working on.

"Nothing, just sitting."

* * *

He looked back at the girl who always made it a point to sit with him when he was alone. She sat quietly watching him work.

"Why do you always come out here, it's not like you talk much," he said, breaking the quiet between them.

"I do talk, if anything it's you who doesn't talk much," she shot back. "If you wanna talk let's talk."

Daryl looked back at her. "Why do you wanna talk to me anyway?"

"I like talkin to you. Ask me a question and then I'll ask you one."

She reached for a stick he had already sharpened and felt the tip, waiting for him to respond. Any other time he would have shot down the idea but he actually liked talking to her too. He thought for a minute.

"Why didn't you have a boyfriend?"

She looked up from the stick. "I thought we'd already talked about this."

He shook his head. "No, you never said."

"I wasn't exactly the popular girl at school, Daryl. I was that girl everybody ignored."

"How were you ignored?"

"I don't know I just was. People that actually cared about their schoolwork were labeled nerdy and un cool."

He thought for a while. He didn't understand how a girl as pretty as her would be ignored at school.

"School sucks, you would have to be there to understand."

"You should've run that school," he muttered finally.

She laughed. "Ya know, I even stayed home from prom."

He narrowed his eyes at her.

"How were your school days?" she asked, changing the subject.

He shrugged. "They were alright."

He thought back to those days. They weren't the best days of his life. He skipped school half the time and barely graduated. When Merle wasn't in Juvy he always seemed to talk him into doing something stupid and when he went home he dealt with their drunken father.

"Just alright?" she asked.

He nodded. "They weren't a cakewalk."

"Guess we have that in common then," she said softly.

* * *

Layna talked with Daryl for a while, talking about how torturous school had been for the both of them. She felt so comfortable talking to him. He obviously hadn't lived a life of luxury either. He was one of those people she felt like she could tell anything to and he wouldn't judge her. She was beginning to feel ashamed that she'd acted so rudely to him at first. She automatically assumed he was like his brother, but he wasn't at all.

Shane, Rick, and T-dog left for their gas trip and came back pretty late in the evening. Everyone else made sure candles were lit before it got dark and went to bed pretty early. Layna laid awake, prolonging the nightmares she figured she'd have. She was nervous about their trip tomorrow and afraid of what they might have to face. Too make matters worse, she couldn't stop thinking about Daryl and the way he acted around her. He wasn't as open with anyone else in the group. She'd also noticed the subtle compliments he'd been throwing out lately. She was pretty sure he didn't mean anything by them, he was probably just being nice to her.

* * *

When morning came, everyone piled into the vehicles and left for their journey. Daryl climbed into the truck and Layna climbed in the passenger side. Her gun was still laying on the dash and his rifle and crossbow were still on the floorboards. He wished they could come across more ammo somewhere. They didn't have much left and he knew it was only a matter of time before they ran into a situation where they would need it. As they pulled out of the driveway, Layna looked out the open window. The breeze blew her hair over her bare shoulders. He noticed she was wearing another one of the Amy's shirts. This one was a blue tank top, that made her eyes look even bluer. He stared out at the scenery as he followed behind the RV.

"So, since you asked me, I'm going to ask you," Layna finally said, breaking the silence. Daryl glanced back at her before looking back at the road.

"Did you have a girlfriend or wife before this?"

"No," he answered.

"Well how come?"

"Don know."

* * *

Layna kept quiet the rest of the ride. They past by a stray walker dragging itself along the roadway but didn't see any other people or vehicles. Daryl parked behind the RV and white truck when they arrived at the CDC. Layna looked out the windows, noticing the military equipment laying around. Dead soldiers laid spread out on the ground, making the smell of death unbearable even before she stepped out of the truck.

"I had a feeling it'd be like this," Daryl muttered as he scrunched up his nose. He reached for the crossbow and rifle beneath her feet and she grabbed her gun. He stopped and looked at her before he opened his door.

"Watch your back and don't run off."

Layna nodded, anxious to get out of the truck. Daryl opened his door and she opened hers, climbing out and looking at the destruction that lay before them. It looked like there had been a massacre. Everyone else climbed out of the vehicles and fell in line, briskly walking to the doors of the CDC. They all had their guns pointed, just in case as they all surveyed the area around them.

"You still thinkin this is a good idea?" Shane spat. Rick glared back at him for only a second before continuing toward the doors. Layna stayed close to the group, keeping her hand on her gun just in case. Daryl stood behind her, nervously glancing around.

"There ain't nobody here," T-dog announced.

"Why would the shutters be down?" Rick screamed as he banged on them.

"Walkers!" Daryl yelled suddenly. Layna whirled around and saw a few walkers heading their way.

Daryl aimed and fired at one with his crossbow, taking it down.

"Where are we going to go?" Carol cried, holding Sophia close.

Layna looked around nervously as Shane and Rick argued. More walkers were appearing in the distance and it was becoming clear that they would find no help here.

"C'mon," Daryl grabbed Layna's arm. "We're going back to the truck!"

Layna let herself be dragged a few feet before she stopped and looked back. Shane and Lori were trying to pry Rick away from the doors. Everyone else was slowly backing away. Daryl let go of her arm and aimed the rifle at a few walkers that were getting dangerously close. Layna threw up her gun and aimed too, firing and hitting one in the head. Daryl took out the last one and then looked back toward the doors.

"Please! You're killing us!" Rick screamed to the camera above the doors. Shane grabbed him, pulling him away. Daryl roughly grabbed her arm once again. "We have to get outta here!" he yelled.

She let him pull her back toward the truck, until the sound of doors opening made them both turn back.

* * *

Layna looked around the cramped elevator. She was squished between Daryl and the new man, Dr. Edwin Jenner. Everyone still held their guns in their hands along with the few bags they'd gone back to get.

"Doctors always go around packing heat like that?" Daryl asked as he looked suspiciously at the doctor. Layna shoved his arm hard. He didn't need to start anything with the man who'd let them come to safety.

Minutes later, Dr. Jenner showed them through the underground area and took them to an area where he could take their blood which was pretty much their admission ticket.

"I don't like needles," Carl pouted.

"It's not bad," Layna assured him. "Just one prick and it'll be over."

* * *

Daryl hung back to the end of the line. He saw Carl freaking out about the needles and Layna leaning in close talking to him. He watched her as she tried to persuade him that it wasn't bad. The kid didn't seem to be buying it. She finally stepped in front of him in line allowing him to see her get her blood drawn first. Jenner stuck the needle into her arm and Daryl watched her face closely waiting to see how she reacted. Her face was like stone as she looked down at the tubes and syringes filling with blood. When he was done with her she stood up, almost losing her balance. Daryl found himself rushing over before he even realized it. She sat back down in the chair.

"Whoa," Jenner looked back at her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she got back up again, slower this time.

"We haven't eaten in days," Jacqui explained.

Jenner nodded, well we'll have to do something about that then.

After they ate, Layna watched as everyone began pouring drinks. Daryl picked up his own bottle of Southern Comfort and kind of faded into the background. As the red wine was being passed around the table Layna looked around uncomfortably. She was too embarrassed to admit to anyone that she'd never drank before. Someone shoved a glass her way and she took it. She looked over at Lori who was already drinking hers and saw Carl reach for a glass. Lori objected.

"Aw let him have some," Rick pleaded. To Layna's horror, Lori let Carl taste the wine. She watched him slowly lift the glass to his lips and then scrunch up his face.

"Ew!"

Lori took his wine and poured it with hers. Layna shook her head, and looked back to her glass. She let her eyes wander around the room, everyone looked carefree and happy. Daryl's eyes met hers. He was leaning against a table in the back, drinking from his own bottle. He held up his bottle at her and she nervously held up her glass, pressing it to her lips when he drank from his bottle. She sipped the bitter liquid, trying not to make a face as she swallowed. She looked back at the wine in her glass. It wasn't what she expected. She tried to busy herself with everyone's conversations, and not with how inexperienced she felt. She felt as young as Carl and Sophia. Every now and then she took a small sip from her glass, even though she didn't like it.

Before long, people began heading off too the sleeping quarters that Dr. Jenner had shown them. She stayed seated, still sipping the same glass of wine. As silly as it sounded she wanted to at least feel something for drinking the horrible wine. Soon, it was only her, Rick, T-dog, Glen, and Dale still sitting at the table. Daryl came from the back table and sat down beside her, his bottle still in his hand.

"Having fun," she asked, as she propped her elbows on the table.

He pointed at her glass. "That still your first one?"

"Uh, yeah," Layna said with a laugh. She lifted the glass back up and finished it off, cringing as she swallowed.

He laughed. "Not a big wine drinker huh?"

She shook her head, "I guess not."

"Ever tried this before?" He held the bottle of Southern Comfort out to her.

"Nope, I haven't," she admitted. She took the bottle he held out to her.

"You only live once right?" she asked jokingly as she lifted the bottle to her lips.

* * *

Daryl watched her drink out of his bottle. She took a swig and he looked down at her neck as she swallowed. He could practically see it as it went down her throat. She licked her lips, savoring the taste as she lowered the bottle and sat it back on the table.

"That was a little better than the wine," she said with a laugh. Rick, Dale, and T-dog got up next and left, leaving Glen who was pouring himself more wine.

"Damn, Glen, calm down. You'd think this was your first time drinkin," Daryl joked as Glen scooted into a chair closer to him and Layna.

"What if I told you it was _my_ first time?" Layna asked with a smile. Her blue eyes flashed excitedly.

"Really?" he asked as he watched her reach for Glen's bottle.

"Yep," she poured herself another glass. "There's gotta be a first time for everything though right?"

He watched her raise her second glass to her lips.

"Ya might be needin a drink of water to go with that then," he suggested as she took a big sip.


	23. Chapter 23

_Author's Note: The slow build up is killing me Lol but I want it to be realistic. It begins to speed up now._

_**I'm putting the lyrics to the song that is played at the end of the chapter because i think the song goes really great with the situation. So please check them out. Enjoy and Review!_

"Ya know they were jealous of you right?" Daryl asked as Glen walked out of the room.

"Who?" Layna asked as she looked back at Daryl, trying to read his expression.

"Them kids at your school. They couldn't ignore ya, they were just jealous. They had to be."

Layna could feel a smile coming across her face. "Whatever Daryl," she said finishing her second glass of wine.

She saw him watching her out of the corner of her eye. She looked around the now empty room. A radio in the corner caught her attention.

"Hey look!" she said excitedly as she jumped up from her chair, heading to the corner.

When she got to it she noticed there were CD's stacked beside it. She picked them up, as she examined them.

"God, I sure have missed music," she muttered aloud.

"What do you wanna listen to?" she asked as she turned around with the CD's in her hand.

She nearly jumped when she realized Daryl was standing right behind her.

"What do we got?"

She looked down at the CD's as she read through them.

"Tim McGraw, George Strait, it's almost all country. I'm guessin you like country right?" She looked back up at him.

He nodded. "Let me see."

She handed the CD's to him and he handed her his bottle. She took another swig out of it, a little more bolder this time. Hell, if she was gonna drink she might as well do it right. He smirked up at her as she brought the bottle down.

"It's still better than the wine," she said with a smile.

"Put this in," he said as he handed her one of the CD's.

She took the CD's from him and handed his bottle back out to him.

"No you can have more of it."

"No," Layna argued. "I think I'm feelin that wine already."

He chuckled as he took the bottle from her.

She glanced down at the CD he had chosen.

"Faith Hill?" she asked, turning back to look at him.

"Just put the damn thing in," he said with a grin.

Layna popped the CD out of the case and into the CD player, making sure the volume was down. She flipped the CD case over and scanned the back as she waited for it to come on.

"Put it on that one," Daryl pointed at a song on the case as he looked at it from over her shoulder.

Layna skipped to the song he wanted and turned it up. It was "I need you" actually a favorite of hers because Faith Hill's husband Tim McGraw sang it with her.

"I didn't know love songs were you're thing, Daryl," Layna teased as she turned back from the CD player.

"They're not, but I kinda like this one," he explained.

Layna looked back at him. He seemed a lot more laid back, maybe it was because they finally had a safe place to relax. She kinda figured the alcohol had the most to do with it though.

She was beginning to feel the effect of the alcohol herself.

* * *

Daryl listened as Layna hummed along with the first few lines of the song. He leaned back against the table, perfectly content with just sitting back and watching her hum and sway along to the music as she looked at the other CD's.

She laid the CD's back down and turned to face him.

"Why aren't you dancin?" she giggled. "You picked the song, you gotta dance or sing or somethin."

"I don't dance alone," he stated as he stood up, sitting his bottle on the table. He walked over to her as she looked back at him, confused.

He took her hand, catching her off guard. At first he thought she was going to jerk back but she let him lead her out farther on the floor. Her wide eyes looked up at him as he slipped his right arm around her waist and held her other hand with his left. He pulled her closer to him.

* * *

Layna held her breath as Daryl pulled her closer to him. She had been kidding about dancing and had no idea he would make such a bold move, but she didn't pull away.

"I don't know how to dance," she stammered nervously.

"Seem to be doin alright to me," he assured her. She was so close that she could smell the whiskey on his breath. Her mind went blank as she stared back at his blue eyes. If she hadn't fallen for him before this she was afraid she had now.

Layna felt as if they were the only people in the whole CDC. As the song played on she laid her head on his shoulder. She was actually mad when it ended. She tried to pulled away from him when it switched on to an upbeat song, but he pulled her back. She could feel the heat on her face and knew she was probably blushing. She always had a horrible tendency to do that. Her heart started pounding when she looked back up at his face. He was looking at her, making her feel self conscious. He leaned his face down slowly toward hers as if he was testing boundaries. She leaned a little closer to him, her breath catching in her throat.

She shut her eyes as his warm lips met hers. She immediately tasted the Southern Comfort. His rough hand tightly gripped her wrist and his other one squeezed her waist as he hungrily pulled her even closer to him. It started off soft but soon became almost desperate. She let him take charge. A low moan escaped from her mouth and his tongue slipped in. When he finally pulled away, they were both breathing hard. She kept her eyes closed, savoring all of her emotions and his taste on her lips.

* * *

(Tim McGraw)I wanna drink that shot of whiskeyI wanna smoke that cigaretteI wanna smell that sweet addiction on my breathI wanna ride across West Virginia in the back seat of a CadillacYou know some cowboys like me go out like that So I need you Like a needle needs a vein Like my uncle Joe in Oklahoma needs a rainAnd I need youLike a lighthouse on a coastLike the father and the son need the Holy GhostI need you

(Faith Hill)I wanna get lost in some corner booth, Cantina MexicoI wanna dance to the static of an AM radioI wanna wrap the moon around us, lay beside you skin on skinMake love til the sun comes up, til the sun goes down againCause I need youLike a needle needs a veinLike my uncle Joe in Oklahoma needs a rainI need youLike a lighthouse on a coastLike the father and the son need the Holy GhostI need you, OOH I need you

(Tim McGraw)I wanna drink that shot of whiskeyI wanna smoke that cigaretteYou know some cowboys like me go out like thatSo I need you, wohh I need youI need you I need you I need you, I nee-ed you

_Please Review! _


	24. Chapter 24

Daryl pulled away from her slowly, as he watched her closely. She slowly opened her blue eyes and a smile formed on her lips. He wanted to pull her right back to him but he stopped himself. He hadn't planned to make a move on her, it'd just happened. He didn't regret it one bit though and he was pretty sure she didn't either. He let go of her wrist and she let her fingers trace down his chest as she bit down on her bottom lip. She acted so innocent, almost like she didn't know she was driving him crazy.

"Wow," she finally said softly.

Daryl watched her eyes as they suddenly looked past him. She pulled away from him and he turned around as Jenner entered the room.

"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt anything," he said apologetically.

"Oh, no, it's okay," Layna said quickly. Jenner walked past them and picked up a wine bottle from the table.

"So our blood was alright?" Layna asked.

"I'm almost done checking it but there are no surprises so far."

Daryl watched the doctor walk back out of the room. The weird doctor sure knew how to time it right, he thought angrily. He looked back to Layna who was now standing awkwardly. She walked over and turned off the CD player.

"I think I'm goin to go to bed, it's getting late," she said softly. "You wouldn't happen to know where they put my bag of clothes would you?"

Daryl looked back at her. He wasn't ready for her to go. It was all the stupid doctor's fault.

"They might be in my room," he answered her.

"Oh yeah Daryl I'm sure," she said with a laugh. He realized after her reaction that his answer sounded like a poor attempt to get her in his bed.

"I didn't mean it like that…," he tried to explain.

"Well, c'mon then let's go look," she said as she walked past him and towards the housing area. He grabbed his bottle off the table even though there wasn't much left in it by now. He could feel his heart racing as he followed her down the halls. Most of the doors were closed and she stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"Which one's yours?" she whispered as she waited for him to catch up to her.

* * *

He pointed to the darkened room in front of them and she went in, flicking on the light.

"They aren't here, Daryl."

He leaned against the door frame as she stood in the middle of his room with her hands on her hips.

"What are you gonna do now? Go fumblin through everybody's room while their asleep lookin for clothes?"

"I guess not," she muttered.

Layna watched Daryl as he stood in the doorway. She wished Dr. Jenner hadn't ruined their moment. She didn't know if she would ever be able to be that bold with him again. She wanted to kiss him again and feel his strong hands on her, but she'd never made the first move before. Drinking wasn't the only thing she was inexperienced in but she wasn't sure if he had noticed or not. He walked in, sitting the bottle on a small table.

"I didn't take you as much of a dancer," she said, trying to initiate some kind of conversation.

He shrugged. "I'm not. You just have to let things just come natural sometimes."

* * *

Daryl walked over to her. He wanted to reach out and touch her so badly, but he wasn't sure how she would react. He'd never felt like he had to plan his actions with a girl so carefully. He finally talked himself into making a second move. She'd reacted better than he'd expected the first time. She'd practically melted into him. When her eyes met his again, he leaned closer to her, taking his time. The anticipation was killing him but he let his lips gently brush hers and then let them trail down her cheek and to her neck. He pulled her hair out of the way and heard her breathing change. He forced himself to pull back away from her, studying her reactions. He was pretty sure she wanted him as badly as he wanted her.

* * *

Layna almost whined when he pulled away from her. What was he doing? Teasing her? She looked into his eyes, trying to show him she wanted him to continue. She laid her hand on his shoulder, and he leaned in quickly, crashing his lips against hers. His hand went to her waist once again as he pressed his body against hers. She let him slowly push her backwards until she was leaning against the plain white wall. Her arms hung awkwardly by her sides because she wasn't sure where put them. When they both got deeper into the kiss she tossed her arms around his neck. He surprised her immediately by roughly pulling her hands off and pinning them to the wall beside her shoulders. He pulled away from her lips and moved onto her neck. His knee parted her legs and pressed against the wall between them, allowing himself to get closer to her. As he got more excited he got a little rougher. A horrible thought crossed her mind, distracting her.

'This man was the brother of her attacker.' The fast way he moved with her almost made her want to question his real motives. Her mind screamed at her that what she was doing was wrong, but her body wanted him so badly.

She pulled her mouth away from his and he pulled back, loosening his grip on her arms.

"What is it?" his voice was husky with want.

She looked back at him. "I don't know Daryl."

She could tell he wasn't like his brother, but something was still bothering her. She knew they had to stop before they couldn't.

"We need to take this slow, I..I just can't do this right now," she stammered.

He let go of her arms and stared back at her.

* * *

Daryl eased his weight off of her and allowed her to move away from the wall. He tried to hide his disappointment.

"I'm going to take a shower," she said as she brushed past him.

"What about your clothes?" he asked.

Layna looked back at him like she was thinking.

"I might have a shirt you can wear," he muttered as he walked over to his bag.

"Here," he held out a white shirt identical to the ones she always wore when they were at the brick house. He'd swiped a few of them just in case he needed one. He watched as she took the shirt from him and left his room. He felt stupid. There was no way she was gonna do anything with him after what Merle did to her. He didn't even feel like he had to have sex with her. He just wanted to be close to her and touch her. She made him feel amazing, and they hadn't even done anything serious. He knew if she offered it to him he definitely wouldn't turn her down but he just wanted her to realize he wasn't like his brother. Merle wasn't even here and he still felt like he was living in his brother's shadow. He angrily scooped up some of his clothes and went in search of another bathroom.

* * *

As Layna walked to the bathroom she was mentally beating herself up. She led him on and now she knew he was going to hate her. She really liked him, she just couldn't stop thinking about Merle, and now she was getting a headache, probably from all the wine she'd drank. As she past the Rec. room she noticed a few bags sitting on the couches. She ran in and realized some of them were hers. She pulled out a clean pair of underwear and a bra and continued on her way to the bathroom.

* * *

After Daryl took a shower he threw back on another pair of pants and a clean shirt and went back to his room. He didn't see Layna anywhere, hell he wasn't sure if he was gonna see her again anytime soon. She'd probably be avoiding him. He swiped his bottle off the small table and sat down on the bed. He stared out into the hallway from his open door. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw Layna's head peek around the corner.

"Hey," she said softly as she walked in. She was wearing the white t-shirt he'd given her and her wet hair was hung over the front of her shoulder.

She sat down on the edge of the bed beside him.

"I'm really sorry."

Daryl looked back at her. "You ain't gotta be sorry."

"Yes, I do," she argued. "I really like you Daryl."

Daryl looked back up at her. He was expecting anything but that. He'd figured some kind of rejection was on its way out of her pretty mouth, definitely not that.

* * *

Layna waited to see how he would react but he didn't say anything. He just sat still on the edge of the bed beside her as he looked down at the bottle in his hands. Layna leaned over and kissed his cheek, surprising him. He looked back up at her and she looked away. It was childish she knew. She felt her face getting red again, she just lacked the confidence to do anything more serious than that.

"Mind if I stay in here tonight?" she asked nervously. "Just to sleep?"

"What do ya think everybody's gonna think in the morning?"

Layna looked back at him. "Well, they took all the other rooms. If I don't sleep in here I have to sleep in the Rec. room."

"I don't care if ya stay," he answered quickly.


	25. Chapter 25

_Author's Note: Okay guys I don't like to do the scenes word for word from the movie, I feel that it gets boring, so I took bits and pieces._

Layna woke up to the sound of rustling in the room. When she opened her eyes, she saw Daryl slipping on his boots. She sat up when he noticed she was awake. She was still a little embarrassed about last night.

"Is it morning already?" Layna asked as she yawned.

"Yeah, everybody's cookin breakfast," he said as he walked out of the room.

Layna pulled herself up, realizing she still had a headache. She got up and began her search for her bag of clothes. She found them in Lori's room and took them to the bathroom to get dressed. She put on her jeans and the last clean shirt of Amy's she was given, a plain gray tank top. She was worried that Daryl was mad. Sure he'd let her sleep in his bed but that didn't necessarily mean he didn't harbor bad feelings toward her.

* * *

Daryl headed down to the eating room. He felt like he hadn't slept at all. Layna had actually taken up a lot more room than he imagined she would. He kept waking up to her arm thrown over his chest or her leg tossed over his. She hadn't had anymore nightmares though so that was good. He couldn't help be a little confused after what happened last night. Maybe it was his fault, he figured he had to of pushed her too far. He knew only time would tell how she would act around him.

As he walked in the kitchen he heard Glen's groaning. Dumb kid had a hell of a hangover. He took a plate of eggs T-dog had made and stood in the corner as he ate.

Everyone soon began passing the Aspirin bottle Jenner had gave them around the table. Layna came in and snatched the bottle off the table. Lori laughed at her.

"Oh you too huh?"

"I just have a little headache," Layna complained as she poured herself a glass of water and downed the pills.

Her eyes met his and she began walking his way.

"Hey," she said, lowering her voice.

Daryl looked back at her, he was a little surprised she was still talking to him.

"We're okay right?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah," he nodded. He didn't really understand how she could think he was terribly pissed. Their short while they were wrapped in each other's arms last night were the best he'd ever felt. If anything he thought he'd been the one to screw up but here she was worried about his feelings.

"Good," she turned away from him and took a seat at the table.

Minutes later when everyone was done eating he found himself following the group into the main room where Jenner had all of his computers. He let everyone watch the last few moments of a test subject's life and then the first few moments of when it turned. He halfway listened to Jenner ramble before he lost him. He found himself watching Layna more than Jenner. She stared up at the screen as if she were mesmerized by it and she paid close attention to every word Jenner said.

Daryl didn't think that he was doing them anything good letting them watch it. It was only depressing everyone even more. The only thing they learned was that he had no clue what it was or if there was anybody left working on a cure.

Dale finally pulled everyone's attention away from their discussions and asked what a clock on the screen was counting down too.

"Oh, that's when the basement generators run out of fuel," Jenner announced casually. Vi, the computer then explained that facility wide decontamination would occur.

* * *

Layna walked close by Daryl as they walked back up the halls while Rick, Shane, Glen, and T-dog rushed to the basement.

Jenner had made a quick escape out of the room, leaving them all a little uneasy.

"What's going on?" Layna asked Daryl as they made their way through the halls.

"Hell if I know," he muttered.

"Guys, the air conditioning stopped," Lori suddenly shouted from her room. Everyone began pouring out of the halls as Jenner walked by. "Why are the lights going off?" Carol asked nervously.

"Everything's shutting itself down," Jenner explained.

"Hey what the hell's that mean?" Daryl yelled as he fell in line behind everyone. Layna ran to catch up with him and hear what everyone was saying. They all followed Jenner back into the main room.

Everyone began panicking even more when the timer popped back on the screen telling them they had thirty minutes until decontamination. When the doors closed, everyone erupted, trying to find a way out. Layna stood frozen as she watched Daryl run screaming for Dr. Jenner. Shane grabbed him just before he knocked him out of his chair. After everyone screamed in Dr. Jenner's face for a while he finally began giving them answers. She watched as he explained that when the timer was up HIT's would be deployed which are explosives that light the air on fire. The realization finally hit everyone that this would be the end. Layna looked over and say Carol crying as she clutched Sophia close. Layna was too stunned to react, but Daryl had the opposite reaction. He threw everything at the door, trying to get it open.

"Open the damn door!" he screamed.

Shane and Daryl both began attempting to break the door down with axes.

Layna walked closer to Dr. Jenner. "You can't do this to us," she began pleading. He looked at her but didn't say anything. Layna's head began pounding even harder.

"You know what it's like out there," Jenner said. "A short life and an agonizing death, is that what you want?"

"We've fought this long," Layna cried. "We can't go like this!"

Dr. Jenner looked back at her. "You don't want to live out there, Layna"

He turned his attention to Andrea next, talking about Amy and trying to make her think this was a better way to die.

"Those doors are built to withstand a rocket launcher," Jenner announced as he turned back to Daryl and Shane who were still beating on the doors.

"Well yer head ain't!" Daryl screamed as he came running toward Jenner with the axe.

"Whoa!" Everyone screamed as they stopped him just before he made it to him. Layna lowered herself onto the ground beside Lori and Carl. She wasn't ready to die. She watched as everyone took their anger out on Jenner before he finally explained that the test subject they'd seen was his wife. Daryl stayed by the door, hitting it with the axe almost the entire time. And finally, Jenner opened the door. "I told you the other doors were locked though," he explained. Everyone ran for the door as soon as it opened. The timer said they had Five minutes.

"C'mon everybody!" Daryl screamed as he motioned to the door. His eyes met hers. "Hurry!"

"Wait!" Jenner said suddenly. "Rick, Layna, come here!"

Layna whirled around, as Jenner pulled Rick, close whispering something in his ear.

"What do you want?" she screamed.

Rick looked at Jenner before turning from him and heading toward the door. Jenner's eyes met hers and he motioned for her to come closer.

* * *

Daryl watched from the doorway as Jenner pulled Layna aside. "Layna!" he screamed. "We've gotta get out of here!"

Everyone stopped in the doorway as they saw that Jenner had stopped Layna. "Just Go!" Daryl yelled to them. "I'll get her!"

Daryl ran back toward them, noticing Andrea was still sitting on the ground. "You can't stay here!" Dale began yelling to her.

Daryl ran past them and made it to Layna as she pulled away from Jenner. Layna stood frozen as she looked back at the crazy doctor.

"Layna what the hell?" Daryl reached out and grabbed her arm. She didn't move, she only turned around to look at him. Her eyes were wide. He tugged her harder.

"What'd he say to you?" Daryl bellowed as he looked back at Jenner who had made his way back to his computer and sat down.

Daryl could feel his temper rising. "What the fuck Layna?"

"Just go Daryl," Layna stammered as she stumbled backwards against a computer.

"Why would you stay here?" Daryl screamed as he looked around the now empty room. He noticed Dale was still talking to Andrea but Jacqui had taken a seat next to Jenner.

Layna looked back at him as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You know what? I ain't lettin you stay," Daryl said angrily as he grabbed her arms and pulled her back onto her feet and out to the middle of the floor.

"You can't make her go!" Jenner yelled at him.

"Oh like hell I can't!" Daryl snarled. He used all of his strength to pull Layna and she wasn't making it easy.

"Time is almost up," Andrea proclaimed, making Daryl look back at the timer. Only Three minutes were left.

"Layna if you don't start moving your damn feet," he threatened. She let out a sob and let him drag her toward the door. She picked up her pace a little as they passed through the doorway and out into the hall. He stopped and picked up his crossbow, Rifle and her gun they'd left in the room and then they both began running. He made sure she was caught up with him and not about to turn back. They made it into the front area just as an explosion racked the building. At first Daryl thought they had been too late but then he realized it was something Rick and the group had done. When they rounded the corner everyone was climbing out of the now open window. He pushed Layna through first and then climbed out after her into the harsh sunlight. Walkers began encircling them so he threw up his rifle, firing at them as he ran. Layna was still crying by his side. They finally made it to the vehicles and everybody wasted no time climbing into them. Layna threw open the passenger door of his truck and he ran around to the driver side, tossing the guns and crossbow in the back. He looked out the windshield and noticed Andrea and Dale clambering out of the window.

"Get down!" Daryl growled to Layna as he saw the fire beginning to spread throughout the building. Layna ducked low, laying over the middle seat and he ducked down beside her. The explosion rocked the entire area.

When Daryl lifted himself off the seat he looked into the blazing inferno before them. Layna pulled herself off the seat and looked too.

Daryl tore his eyes away from the burning CDC and looked back at her. She was still crying.

"What the hell were you doin back there?" He asked angrily. She turned back to him with those wide, scared blue eyes.

"You should've just left me," she sobbed.

He looked back at the almost hysterical girl sitting beside him. He'd never seen her act this bad before.

"What did that asshole say to ya?"

"Daryl…" she trailed off "I..just.."

He looked at her, waiting for her to spit it out.

"What?" he asked exasperatedly. He could feel himself losing his patience.

She lowered her head in her hands as sobs wracked her body.

He reached out and grabbed her arm, bringing her attention back to him.

She looked back up at him with her tear stained face. "Jenner." she began slowly, as she swallowed hard. "He….Told me that I'm pregnant." She barely got the words out.

Daryl froze. "Huh?" he felt his mouth fall open. He felt like everything was moving in slow motion now. Her sad eyes locked in on his.

"How..How the fuck would he know?" Daryl heard himself yell.

"The fuckin blood Daryl! He took our…my blood! My...blood."

Daryl felt like his heart stopped in his chest.

"This can't be happening!" she cried as she lowered her face in her shaking hands.

"What if he was wrong?" Daryl asked. "What if he lied?" His mind was racing.

"He said he checked it twice," she murmured. "He said he thought I was."

Merle immediately popped into his head.

"It's not...because of Merle…" he trailed off. "Is it?"

She turned back to look at him, she looked angry now.

"Of course it is!" she screamed at him. "What do you think I did before this? Huh? You think I slept around?"

He sank further into his seat as she screamed at him.

"Daryl! I was a freakin virgin."

_Well let me know what you think. This was the plan all along. I know it's horrible, but pretty please give me some feedback. If you're wondering this was the reason for the stay at the brick house, it takes at least ten days or so for a pregnancy to be determined by a blood test. I had to make sure it all fit in together._


	26. Chapter 26

_Author's Note: Thank you all for the reviews! I get super excited when I get them. Sorry for this short chapter. I'm not very happy with it, but it will do. I'm kind of having writer's block, trying to decide just how far from the series this will be straying. I have a general idea but i'm still figuring it out. If you guys have any ideas you would like to share feel free to message me or let me know._

Daryl looked over at the crying girl that he'd slowly let himself become attached too. He almost had to remind himself to breathe. The moment felt unreal. He almost wished she hadn't told him first. Why couldn't she have told her sister or one of the cops? He didn't know what to say to her. He could say he was sorry but that wouldn't help her one bit.

He gritted his teeth as he thought about his brother. Leave it to Merle to rape a virgin and knock her up, and if that wasn't bad enough itself, he did it at the worst possible time. She hadn't been just a virgin though, she was Layna. God, she didn't deserve this.

* * *

Layna tried to steady her breathing. How could this happen to her? Jenner's words replayed in her mind. She had no idea that he was going to ask her if she knew she was pregnant. What was she gonna do now? What could she do?

She lifted her head out of her hands when she heard Daryl crank the truck. The RV and white truck in front of them were pulling back out into the road.

"Maybe he's wrong," Layna said aloud. "There's room for error right?"

She looked back at Daryl who was staring out the windshield. She felt sick to her stomach. Things like this just didn't happen to people like her. It just wasn't right.

"Why'd he even say anything?" Daryl's voice broke her thoughts.

Layna swallowed back the lump in her throat. "He was giving me a chance to stay."

"And you were going too?"

"I don't know Daryl, I just don't know. I couldn't even think straight. He kept telling me how dangerous it was to be pregnant out here and I just..I can't be pregnant though, I just can't be."

* * *

Daryl listened to Layna argue with herself. It was hard to imagine this girl being pregnant with his brother's baby. It was sickening. He could just remember his brother's smiling face as he took Layna too his tent that day. He regretted not standing up to Merle now more than ever. He was just as bad as Merle because he sat back and let it happen to her. If he would've stepped in then he wouldn't be having to sit and listen to her cry now.

"What am I gonna do Daryl?" she asked as she wiped her eyes.

Daryl looked back at the road. He wanted her to stop asking him and ask one of the others. She should be mad at him. Part of him wanted her to hate him as much as he hated himself.

He tried to block out her cries as they rode on. He wondered what everyone was going to do when she told them. He knew it was going to be bad.

His heart sank when the vehicles in front of him pulled onto the shoulder of the highway where they had spent the night after the attack at camp. He stopped the truck and looked over at her. She was staring ahead, not even blinking.

"I can't tell them," she said sadly.

He looked back at her, wondering how she would go about keeping this a secret. She couldn't hold herself together for a minute without falling apart. Nobody would be fooled that easily. It was obvious that something serious was wrong with her.

* * *

Layna stared out the windshield as everyone climbed out of the white truck and RV. Daryl stole a nervous glance her way before climbing out of the truck.

"Don't say anything, Please." Layna murmured.

Daryl slowly nodded back at her.

Layna took a deep breath, wiped her eyes and climbed out too, walking toward the group. She wondered what everyone would say if she announced to the group what she'd told Daryl. She felt sick just thinking about it. There was no way she could do it. What if Jenner was wrong anyway? She would just be causing the group more unnecessary worry.

Everyone remained silent as they stared at each other. Layna walked over and leaned her back against the white truck. She saw Dale carrying a bag of tools out of the RV and around to the front of it.

"I can't believe Jacqui stayed," Carol murmured, breaking the silence.

Andrea walked over and sat on the steps of the RV, lowering her head into her hands.

"Well Rick what's next man? That was a total bust." Shane complained as he threw his hands up.

Layna watched Rick scratch his short, scratchy beard and look down at the ground.

She began feeling dizzy so she slowly lowered herself to the ground, sitting on her knees.

She felt like she could feel her heart pounding in her ears and she was having a hard time breathing.

"Layna?" she heard someone say her name but her vision was becoming splotchy.

When Layna opened her eyes she realized she was inside the RV, laying on the small bed. She sat straight up, realizing she had an even worse headache than earlier. The memories all came flooding back to her. The CDC, Jenner, the bad news, and the explosion.

"Layna are you okay?" Lori's voice asked from the small table. She was at her side immediately.

"Yeah," Layna said, propping herself up on the pillows. "I think I'm just tired," she lied.

"Drink this." Lori handed a bottle of water out to her.

"Do you have any Aspirin?" Layna asked, squinting up at her as she took the bottle.

"I'll go see if I can find some," Lori said softly.

Layna laid back on the pillows and took a sip of the room temperature water.

The RV door opened a second later and Daryl's head appeared. He stepped in, shutting the door back behind him.

"Here," he held out a bottle of Aspirin. "Guess it's a good thing I picked this up the other day."

"You scared the hell outta me, Layna!" he hissed. "You don't know how close I was to tellin them what Jenner said."

"Daryl," she groaned as she took the pill bottle. "Don't say anything. Please. I think I just passed out because I'm stressed and tired."

She popped a few Aspirin in her mouth and washed them down with her water.

He looked back at her. "What if Jenner was right? You can't keep it from them forever."

"I can't talk about this right now!" She raised her voice. "Just leave me alone, Daryl."

She watched him turn and walk back out of the door. She flinched when he slammed it shut.

Layna laid back against the pillow as tears stung her eyes. When was she ever going to catch a break? She hoped to God that Jenner was wrong, he had to be. She was tired of trying to get over this.

Layna let her eyes drop back down to the Aspirin bottle in her lap. The warning label caught her eye.

'If pregnant or breastfeeding consult your physician before taking.' She tossed the pill bottle to the floor and rolled over. She knew you weren't supposed to drink alcohol either. If Jenner was right, she wondered what she would soon be dealing with.

* * *

Daryl slammed the door and walked back outside.

"I still say Fort Benning," Shane announced to the group that stood outside the RV.

Rick walked past Shane and locked his eyes on Daryl.

"She up?"

"Yeah," Daryl muttered, "But she's in a hell of a mood."

Rick brushed past him and headed for the door. Daryl walked back toward his truck with Layna's meltdowns still fresh in his mind. He wanted to see Merle again at least once just to beat the hell out of him.


	27. Chapter 27

_Author's Note: Please keep reviewing so I know what you all think! I've pretty much gotten where it's going planned out now. Oh here's two chapters._

Layna was surprised when she heard the RV door open again. She rolled back over and saw Rick stepping in.

"Are you okay, Layna?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just overly tired or something," she lied.

"What did Jenner say to you?" he asked as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Layna's heart sank as her mind scrambled to come up with a lie of some sorts.

"I didn't really hear him, um Daryl pulled me away before he could finish," she blurted out.

Rick looked back at her and then down at the floor.

"Did he tell you that we were all infected?" he asked softly.

Layna nodded quickly. "Yeah I think that's what he was getting at."

"Why would he tell just the two of us?"

Layna looked away from Rick. They were all infected? How could that be?

"I don't know if we can trust him. That was one crazy bastard," Rick continued.

Layna shrugged, "I don't know either."

Suddenly the RV door burst open again. "Walkers!" Glen hissed in.

Rick bounded off the bed and out the door. "Stay here, Layna!"

Layna lifted herself off the bed and moved to the windows, trying to see how many they were up against. She gulped when she realized how many of them it was. It was almost like the herd that blew through their campsite. She frantically looked to see where everyone was going. They all seemed to be crawling in and under the vehicles. They must be waiting for them to pass, she realized. She walked back to the bed and sat down. Her heart was racing.

It wasn't long before she could hear their moans from outside the RV. Their fingernails scratched down the sides as they passed. The door began rattling and she froze. It wasn't closed all the way and she could see a crack of light.

"No, no, no, no," she murmured under her breath as she looked for a weapon.

The door slowly creaked open and Layna threw open the bathroom door and sank to the floor, slowly closing it behind her. She held her breath as she pressed her face against it, trying desperately to hear if a walker had stumbled in.

* * *

Daryl threw the dead walkers off of him when most of the herd passed through. He looked back at T-dog who was holding a pretty nasty cut on his arm when a shrill scream pierced the air. He saw Carol's daughter running off the highway and into the woods, walkers and Rick hot on her trail. He let his eyes wander to the RV and saw the door was wide open. He ran toward it, pulling the crossbow off his back. He peeked his head in, almost fearing the worst.

There was a lone walker trying desperately to get into the closed bathroom. Daryl pulled back the crossbow and shot it right in the head.

"Layna?" he called.

The door immediately opened and Layna stumbled out and over the dead walker in front of the door.

"You aren't bit are you?" he could hear the panic rising in his voice.

"No," she stammered. "I'm okay. What about everyone else?"

"Sophia just ran in the woods, she was being chased." he said as he looked out the windows.

"Well what are you doing standing here? We have to help her!" Layna said worriedly as she ran past him and out the door.

"No, Layna!" he hissed. "Rick went to help her!"

"By himself? What if he needs help?" She yelled back.

When he stepped outside he saw everyone standing still looking out toward the woods Sophia had run into. Carol was crying.

"Rick still aint' back?" he asked as he approached them.

Lori shook her head.

Layna whirled around to face him. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

She grabbed his arm, pulling him to the side. "You saw her in trouble and you didn't help her?"

"I was a little busy saving yer ass again, Layna!" he growled.

Rick suddenly emerged from the woods without Sophia.

"I can't find her."

Layna turned away from Rick and glared at him again.

"I'll go fuckin look for her, Layna! Good Lord!" he brushed past her and to the woods where Rick stood.

* * *

Layna sat with everyone as they waited for Daryl and Rick to bring Sophia back. It almost gave her a break from her own problems to sit and deal with everyone else's. Carol was crying hysterically and T-dog had a deep cut on his arm where he'd slipped and cut himself on a car.

"Daryl and Rick will find her, Carol." Layna said softly. She turned her attention from Carol and back to T-dog, who was allowing Dale to examine his arm.

"This is bad," Dale muttered.

"I know," T-dog shot back. "Man, if it wasn't for Daryl I woulda got hurt a lot worse than this."

"What did he do?" Layna asked as she caught T-dog's eye.

"He risked his own ass savin mine."

Layna looked back toward the woods. Maybe she shouldn't have blown up on him. He saved her and T-dog. He couldn't save everybody, he was just one man for God's sakes.

"He saved me too," Layna murmured. "And it definitely wasn't the first time."

* * *

When Daryl came back out of the woods, it was beginning to get dark and he and Rick hadn't been able to find her. He thought back to how Layna had blown up on him. What did she want? For him to have left her locked in that bathroom and go on a wild goose chase for that girl?

Carol saw them and started crying when she realized they hadn't found Sophia, and Layna's eyes locked on his. She headed his way.

"I'm sorry Daryl," she said softly. "It wasn't your fault, I shouldn't have yelled at you."

He looked back at her. She was always so quick to apologize.

"T-dog said you saved him."

"It wasn't anything anybody else wouldn't have done," he said sharply.

He stood and listened as Rick tried to assure everyone Sophia was okay.

"She'll probably come back here. She's smart," he said.

"We can keep people on watch tonight just in case she comes back," Dale proposed.

Rick nodded back at him. "We'll all be on the lookout."

* * *

Layna's stomach rumbled as everyone broke off and went to the RV or the white truck. Daryl walked over to his truck. He'd said he would keep watch tonight along with most of the other guys. Layna followed him. She felt bad because she'd pretty much blamed him when it was in no way his fault that Sophia ran off. He was busy saving everybody else at the moment.

"You can sleep in the truck," he said as he pulled his crossbow on his shoulder and pulled her handgun out and slipped it in the waistband of his pants.

"Where are you goin?" she noticed he had Dale's flashlight in one hand.

"I'm walking up the highway, see if maybe she's back on the road again."

"Daryl, don't do this just because I.."

"I'm not," he interrupted her. "I'm doin it cause the sooner we find her the faster we can get off this damn highway."

Layna watched as he headed down the highway. She looked away from everyone settling in for the night and threw open the truck door, laying down on the seat. She didn't wanna be alone. She knew she wouldn't get any sleep tonight. How could she when there was a possibility that she was pregnant and she couldn't help but worry about Sophia?

Layna slept a little at a time. Every time she woke up she prayed for the day before to have been all a bad dream. She wished that the CDC hadn't been a dead end and that she was sleeping safe in Daryl's room at the CDC instead of this empty truck where she was left alone feeling depressed and vulnerable. When it began getting brighter outside, Layna climbed out of the truck. She saw Rick and Shane outside talking, and saw Daryl coming out of the RV with a plastic bag from the store they'd raided in his hands. He walked over to her and held out the bag.

"Here, get something to eat."

Layna shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"Don't play that shit, Layna. You gotta eat."

She groaned and pulled out a granola bar. As hungry as she felt, she didn't want anything.

Daryl sat the bag down on the hood of the truck and opened his own granola bar.

He looked back at her as she took a few tiny bites.

"I'm guessin you haven't told em yet huh?"

Layna shook her head. "I can't. Especially not now. Finding Sophia is a lot more important right now than everybody worrying about me."

Layna followed the group later as they searched for Sophia. They combed the woods and eventually made it to a church. They only found more walkers inside of it though, and the group split up. Layna followed Daryl, Andrea, Carol, and Glen. She watched Daryl as he led them through the woods with his crossbow out. She couldn't stop thinking about the night at the CDC. Daryl hadn't mentioned it, but could she blame him after she told him their was a possibility she was pregnant with Merle's baby. Dancing with him that night had made her feelings for him grow. At that moment she felt like everything was going to be okay. She always felt safe with him. Ugh, thinking about Merle was making her feel sick again. She pushed her own worries out of her head, trying to tell herself finding Sophia was the most important issue. That poor girl was probably scared to death, even more scared than she was about what Jenner told her.


	28. Chapter 28

Layna could barely breathe as she, Glen, Daryl, Carol, and Andrea headed back to the highway. When they finally made it back to the RV they explained to Dale, and T-dog what had happened.

"A girl rode up like Zorr on a horse and took Lori!" Glen yelled to Dale.

"You let her?" Dale gasped as he looked at Daryl.

"She said Carl had been shot in an accident!" Layna interrupted. "She gave us directions to the farmhouse down the road. We've gotta go!"

"Whoa wait someone has to stay in case Sophia comes back," Carol interjected.

"We can all stay," Dale explained. "You can go with Layna, Daryl. Make sure she gets there safely. Lord knows she won't stay here knowing her nephew is hurt."

Layna nodded and turned back to Daryl who still seemed to be thinking it over.

"But guys, we've got another problem," Dale said motioning to T-dog. "I think he has blood poisoning. If we don't get him antibiotics.." he trailed off.

Daryl snorted and started walking back toward his truck. Layna followed thinking they were leaving to go to the farmhouse but he walked around to Merle's motorcycle.

"What are you doing Daryl? I've got to get over there," she pleaded. He pulled out a plastic bag of pill bottles from the motorcycle bag and walked back past her to the group. Layna followed, getting more and more nervous about Carl.

"Here," Layna watched as he casually handed the bag to T-dog. "Merle's old stash. "Doxycycline. That shit ain't generics either. It's top of the line stuff."

Dale and T-dog stared back at him in awe.

"What? Merle got the clap on occasion," Daryl muttered.

Layna scrunched up her face. "Oh God. Ew. Of course he did."

Daryl looked back at her.

"Can we just please just go now Daryl?" she asked quickly, changing the subject.

Daryl nodded and she ran ahead of him jogging to the truck.

They both climbed in quickly and he laid his crossbow on the seat between them.

"I wonder what else could happen?" Layna asked nervously. "Why is everything happening all at once?"

"Just calm down, you aren't helping by freakin the hell out." Daryl muttered as he pulled away from the shoulder of the road and in the direction of the farm house. Layna glared back at him. How could she not be freaking out?

* * *

Daryl looked up at the large farmhouse as they pulled in. It looked like a giant piece of heaven amidst the rest of this horror. Instead of old deserted cars or walkers roaming around them, there were open fields with cows and horses grazing.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath. As soon as he pulled the truck up to the house, Layna threw open her door and ran up to the porch.

"Hold up, Layna!" he called after her, "You don't what these people are.." he trailed off when he saw the girl that had been riding the horse walk out.

"He's okay right now," the girl explained. "But it's crowded in there, why don't you all come in and sit down in the living room."

He followed Layna as the young brown haired girl led them into the house. She motioned to a couch and he awkwardly sat down beside Layna.

"What's going on?" Layna asked nervously.

"He got shot by Otis by accident. He was hunting and I don't really know what happened, but my dad is taking care of him. He knows what he's doing."

Daryl watched the color drain out of Layna's face.

"He's a doctor?" she asked hopefully.

"Kind of," the girl said. "He's a veterinarian."

"Maggie!" a voice came from the hallway and the girl ran toward it, leaving him and Layna alone on the couch.

"A veterinarian?" Layna asked as she looked at him. "Oh my God."

Daryl looked into the hall, trying to catch a glimpse of what was going on in the other room. He saw Lori and Rick stepping out of the room. Rick's shirt was covered in blood and Lori was crying. Layna saw them and leapt off the couch. Lori pulled Layna into a hug and the three of them both disappeared back into the room.

Daryl looked around the living room. Why did he always get himself stuck in the most awkward situations? Here he was sitting in a stranger's house by himself.

He got up and walked over to the window just as Shane and another man walked out of the hallway. They hurried out the door together and into a truck.

Layna came out of the room a little later, and walked over to him as she wiped her eyes.

"Shane and Otis are going to get medical supplies. Hershel has to do surgery on him," she said sadly.

Daryl stared back at her, unsure of what to say.

"He isn't gonna make it if they don't get back in time."

She started crying again, and let herself fall into him, leaning her head against his chest.

He stood frozen as she wrapped her arms around him.

* * *

Layna pulled away from Daryl when he didn't even touch her. He just stood still while she fell apart and held onto him. She looked back up at him and he looked away from her.

"I get it," she muttered as she turned away from him. "You're just gonna pretend like that night at the CDC never happened right?" She waited for him to say something but he didn't.

"I guess you're not gonna touch me anymore since I'm knocked up huh?"

She stomped out of the farmhouse and into the fresh air.

She lowered herself to the steps. Daryl wasn't ever going to touch her again. She was beyond damaged goods now. Hell, he might've just came onto her that night because he was drunk. At least they hadn't had sex. She would've just been one of his drunken mistakes then.

Layna wiped her eyes as she heard the door open and shut behind her.

She looked back as Daryl stepped out.

"You can go on back to the highway now, Daryl."

She looked back out at the fields in front of the house as she heard his boots scrape the ground. They stopped beside her and he sat down.

"You're wrong Layna."

She turned to look at him and he leaned in close to her, reaching out and grabbing her chin as he forcefully pulled her lips up to meet his. It was a quick kiss, nothing like the ones they shared at the CDC. He pulled away and stared back at her, letting his hand fall back to his lap. Layna needed more. She leaned in and crushed her lips against his, placing her right hand around his neck as she pulled him closer to her. He responded to her and kissed her harder as his rough hand caressed the side of her face and moved down to her neck. She kissed him desperately, trying to show him how much she needed him. When they finally pulled away from each other she reached up and wrapped her hand around his, pulling it off her neck. To her surprise he didn't pull away and she let her hand pull his down to her lap as she intertwined her fingers with his.

"I really need you Daryl," she whimpered.

* * *

Daryl stared into Layna's sad, blue eyes as she held his hand tightly in her lap.

"I ain't goin anywhere, Layna," he said softly.

He knew he had to be there for her. He'd let her down once but he knew he wouldn't let himself make that mistake again. She didn't know it but he felt like he needed her as bad as she said she needed him.


	29. Chapter 29

_Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy and keep reviewing!_

Daryl watched as Layna looked back at him uncertainly. He knew she needed stability and someone she could depend on. He'd just have to try and be there for her the best he could.

"What if Jenner is right, Daryl?"

He looked back out at the fields. He didn't like thinking about it, but there was definitely a possibility. What could she do if she was pregnant? She couldn't just run out and get a quick abortion.

"Maybe you can talk to that man who's fixin Carl up," he said the idea as soon as it popped in his head.

"He's a veterinarian. What would he do?"

"If you are pregnant maybe he could do something about it," he suggested quietly.

He looked back at Layna who was staring down at the ground now, seeming to be thinking. She was still holding his hand and he had the impulse to pull away, but he stopped himself. He'd never been one to hold hands or be touchy feely and emotional. If he was going to be there for Layna that would be something he'd have to work on.

"But how will I know if I really am or not?" she asked. "I don't think it's been long enough to take a test, I don't know where I'd get one anyway."

He shrugged. He didn't no a single thing about pregnancy.

"Don't they have abortion pills in drug stores and stuff?" he asked

Layna suddenly let go of his hand as the front door opened. He turned and saw the brown haired girl named Maggie walk out.

"Are you two hungry or thirsty? We have a stocked up kitchen. C'mon we'll find ya'll somethin."

Layna nodded and looked back at him, so he stood up and followed Layna as Maggie led them to the kitchen.

* * *

Layna sat beside Daryl at the kitchen table as Maggie looked for food. She'd already downed two glasses of ice water, not realizing she was that thirsty.

"I feel bad eating here while the rest of the group is still out on that highway," she said as she turned to Daryl.

Maggie turned away from the Refrigerator. "How many more people?"

"Uh," Layna started counting in her head. "I think five are still out there, but there's a little girl too. She got lost and we've been looking for her."

"I'll go talk to Daddy about letting them come. You guys get whatever you'd like," Maggie said politely as she hurried out of the room.

Layna got up and ran some more water out of the faucet in her ice filled glass, leaning against the counter as she took a sip. She noticed Daryl's was empty too so she reached over and picked it up.

"I got that," he said as he got up. "Just get somethin to eat."

Layna let him take the glass back from her and fill it up himself. She was thinking about what Daryl had said. She hadn't even thought about abortion pills, not that she knew much about them.

"Do you think there's a drug store close by?"

He turned from the faucet. "I don't know."

She couldn't believe she was considering that. What happened to that pro life opinion she had every time the abortion issue came up?

Did her situation make it okay? Obviously the people who were pro life weren't pregnant in a zombie apocalypse with a rapist's baby.

She suddenly remember what Rick had told her. "Hey Daryl, you know how Jenner pulled Rick aside too?"

Daryl nodded as he sat his glass on the counter.

"Rick said he said we were all infected. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Everybody?" Daryl asked surprisingly.

Layna nodded. "That's what he said, but don't say anything, he could've lied for all we know."

"If we were infected we'd be a damn walker by now," Daryl grumbled.

"Daddy said you could bring the others back here," Maggie interrupted as she walked back in the kitchen.

"Let's go get em," Layna said as she finished her glass of water. "T-dog needs to get out of the heat anyway."

"You just stay here Layna, I'll go," Daryl argued. Layna leaned back against the counter. She knew there was no sense in arguing with him.

Maggie walked back over to the refrigerator. "You didn't get anything?"

Layna shook her head. "Not yet."

"As soon as Daddy gets those supplies he'll help Carl, don't you worry," Maggie assured her.

Layna nodded.

"Are you all related to Carl?" the girl asked, changing the subject.

"I'm his aunt," Layna explained. "Lori's my sister."

"Oh, what about?" she pointed in the direction Daryl had gone.

"We're not related," Layna answered quickly.

* * *

Daryl led the group back to the farm as soon as Dale got the RV started. It took a lot of coaxing and promising to Carol that they would still search even though they were moving a few miles down the road. Daryl couldn't keep his mind off Layna the entire time. Her situation seemed as dire as Carl and Sophia's. He knew she wouldn't tell anyone now with Carl hurt as bad as he was and the fact that Sophia was still missing. When he pulled into the long driveway he was surprised that Shane and Otis hadn't made it back yet. It was getting late and a pang of worry hit him as he remembered Layna's words. If they didn't get back in time with the supplies he wouldn't make it. He climbed out of the truck and headed for the door ahead of everyone else, anxious to see Layna.

When he stepped in the door, he saw Layna sitting beside Lori and Rick on the couch. Hershel was sitting close by in a chair, his expression serious.

Layna got up and walked over to him as she saw him. Hershel turned to look at him before turning back to a very upset Rick and Lori.

Layna pulled him into the empty kitchen.

"Shane and Otis aren't back, they're going to have to do the surgery anyway. He's losing too much blood. Rick's already gave him so much."

Daryl could tell she was holding back tears.

He could hear Maggie talking to the others through the open door, offering them food.

Her voice suddenly rang out through the air. "They're back!"

* * *

Layna led Daryl out to the porch after the other's had retreated back to the room to begin surgery. Shane returning without Otis had been terrible. Dale and the other's parked the RV and trucks a little ways from the house to give the family some privacy. Layna had met Hershel's other daughter named Beth, her boyfriend Jimmy, and Otis's wife named Patricia. They all seemed like nice people.

Layna sat down on the steps again and Daryl sat beside her.

"Don't you think that was a little weird?" Daryl whispered.

"What?" she asked as she strained to see his face in the darkness.

"Shane comin back without Otis."

"Well he said he sacrificed himself, what are you getting at Daryl?"

"Layna he came back with a dead man's gun."

Layna looked back out into the darkness.

"Daryl stop. I'm just thankful Shane made it back."

Layna saw Andrea and Glen making their way through the darkness toward the porch.

"Daryl, will you make a trip with me to look for Sophia?" Andrea asked as came closer.

Daryl grunted. "We ain't got enough ammo to go hunting in the dark. What if we run into a herd?"

"Well you try sitting in that RV and listening to Carol cry. We've gotta find that little girl," Andrea muttered.

"Go ahead Daryl, don't stay for me," Layna said softly as she stood up.

"You go with them. I'll go sit with Lori."

She turned and went back inside. Lori and Rick were holding onto each other sitting on the couch and Maggie and Beth were sitting close by in chairs. Layna took a seat in a rocking chair.

Layna was awakened by Lori a short while later.

"He made it through the surgery," she said softly.

Layna jumped up immediately. "How is he?"

"Shhh, he hasn't woken up yet. They said they have an extra room you can sleep in. It's right beside the one me and Rick are in with Carl."

"Are Daryl and Andrea back from looking for Sophia?" she asked worriedly.

Lori nodded. "Yeah, no luck."

Layna wiped her tired eyes.

"Oh and Maggie set out some clothes in there that you may be able to wear. She told me to tell you that you can take a shower. Be quiet though, everyone else went to bed."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"A few hours," Lori murmured. "Daryl was in here looking for you a little while ago."

"Did he go back outside?"

Lori nodded, giving her a strange look. "Is there something going on I should know about Layna?"

"About what?" Layna asked as she swallowed hard.

"You and Daryl."

"We're just close, that's all," Layna muttered.

"How close, Layna? I hope you aren't doing anything you'll regret later."

Layna glared back at her. "I'm not a kid anymore, Lori."

"Worry about Carl, not me," she said sharply. "Just show me where the room and bathroom is."

After Layna took a long, hot shower she put on the clothes Maggie had laid out for her, a pair of blue jean shorts that were a bit too big and a plain t-shirt. She stared into the small fogged up mirror. It was times like these when she really missed her parents. They always knew the right thing to do and say. She thought about how upset they'd be if they knew what had happened to her and changed her mind about wishing they were there. She could just see their horrified faces.

Layna opened the bathroom door, letting the warm, humid air out. She tiptoed back to the room she was told she could use and laid her dirty clothes down. She wondered what time it was. She knew it was late but she wanted to talk to Daryl.

As she tiptoed back down the hall, she stopped at the room Carl, Rick, and Lori were in. The door was cracked, and she could see a dim light illuminating the room. She peeked in, seeing Lori laying on the bed beside Carl. She didn't see Rick but figured he was asleep in one of the chairs. She continued down the hall, through the living room and out the front door. The moonlight allowed her to see the faint shapes of the trucks and RV parked off to the side, by the woods. She wondered if Daryl was asleep in his truck. If she had to guess she'd say he wasn't asleep. She stepped off the porch and began walking toward it.

"Layna?" Daryl's voice broke the dark silence.

Layna turned and saw Daryl walking her way from the RV.

* * *

Daryl walked toward her as she let the tailgate down on his truck and sat down. He took a last puff of his cigarette and tossed it on the ground beside the truck. He stomped it out and sat beside her on the tailgate.

"What are you doin out here Layna? I hear they offered you a bed and a room, you should be asleep," he said as he looked over at her.

She ran her hand through her wet hair and looked back at him.

"You think we can we find a drug store close by?"

"I'm sure we can," he answered her. He was a little surprised she had come up with a decision so quickly.

Layna reached over and put her hand in his, intertwining their fingers once again. "One that's not in the city I mean. That's too big of a risk."

"We'll do whatever it takes," he assured her.

She went silent and he looked back over at her. He wished he could see her face but it was too dark.

"Does it make me a horrible person?" she asked sadly.

"Does what?" he asked, but he was pretty sure he knew what she was talking about.

"Me wanting to take those pills, just in case there is a baby."

"No," he said quickly. He didn't blame her, even if it was his brother's baby. Nobody deserved to go through that.

"Yes it does," she stammered.

"Layna listen to me, it doesn't make you a bad person!" he said, raising his voice.

She started crying, pulling her hand out of his to wipe her eyes.

"My parents would be ashamed," she cried.

"No they wouldn't," he assured her. "Nobody would expect you to keep that baby."

"Daryl, I can't tell you how many times I sat and judged or criticized someone else for getting an abortion," she stammered.

"But it's different now," he interrupted.

"But it's still a baby, Daryl. I'd be killing a baby."

"You wanna have Merle's baby?" he was getting frustrated. Why would she even consider thinking of it as a baby already. Could you even consider it a baby yet? If she was pregnant, she hadn't been for long.

"No," she sniffled. "I'm going to bed."

She got up from the tailgate.

"Well hey," Daryl stood up and grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

"We'll figure it out. Don't worry." he leaned in and kissed her. He could feel the wet tears on her cheeks. She pulled away from him and turned back to the farmhouse. He watched as she slowly walked back to it and up the porch steps, where she disappeared into the darkness until she opened the door.

Daryl sat back down. The feelings he was feeling were the craziest he'd ever felt. He was trying to talk this girl into getting rid of his brother's baby. His own blood pretty much. What would Merle say if he knew?

Daryl wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't the first girl he'd knocked up. He couldn't really see his brother caring though. Now that Layna had said it, he couldn't stop refering to it as a baby. He hadn't really thought of it as a baby until then. He just thought of it as a problem, a really complicated problem.


	30. Chapter 30

_Author's Note: Please keep reviewing!_

The next few days seemed to drag by for Layna. She sat in with Carl most of the time, who was now on the road to recovery. Sophia was still missing and Hershel's family had promised them they could stay until Carl was well. She hadn't spent much time with Daryl. Almost every time she went looking for him he was off looking for Sophia. They hadn't really talked since that night on his tailgate and it was making her nervous. He'd pretty much made his opinion known. He wanted her to get rid of it. It seemed that when he found out she was really torn between deciding what to do, he pulled away from her.

She kept having to remind herself this wasn't a decision she could put off. It wasn't going to go away. Something had to be done and if she wanted to be close to Daryl she felt that she had to get rid of what was pulling them away from each other.

* * *

Daryl was on his way to the woods when he saw Layna walk out of the farmhouse. She hadn't really come out over the past few days. He wanted to give her a little space so he hadn't bothered her. He'd busied himself with looking for that little girl, hoping to get his mind off of Layna. It was her decision to make and it had surprised him that night that she was reconsidering getting rid of the problem. He imagined that if it'd been any other woman at the camp they wouldn't have thought twice, but Layna, she was different.

"I've decided," she said softly as she walked up to him.

Daryl held his breath, waiting for her to finish.

"I heard there was a pharmacy in the town not too far away. Maggie and Glen are leaving soon for a trip there to get more medicine."

Daryl nodded as she explained. He was relieved that she'd decided to take the reasonable way out of this.

"Would you come with me later? I don't want anybody else to know."

"Yeah, You ain't goin by yourself," he answered quickly.

"I'll tell everyone we're going looking for Sophia. That should be a good enough excuse," she explained.

* * *

Layna was glad that Daryl was reluctant to go with her. He seemed relieved and she felt she should be, but she wasn't. She left him and went back inside the house until Maggie and Glen came back from their trip to the pharmacy. She listened to them explain that the trip was uneventful and that they hadn't seen any walkers. She had secretly wished they had come back and said it was unsafe or something, making her change her mind. She explained to Lori and a few others that Daryl and her were going to look for Sophia together and she left the farmhouse with a heavy heart. Daryl was waiting outside with his crossbow and her handgun just in case. She knew it only had three or four bullets in it so she prayed they didn't run into any trouble.

"How are we gettin there?" he asked as she slowly walked to him.

"It wouldn't look as suspicious if we walk. Maggie and Glen rode horses so it's probably not that far.

"Let's go get this over with then," he said as hung the crossbow on his back.

* * *

Daryl listened to the sound of their shoes on the asphalt as they walked in silence.

"Don't let me talk myself out of this, Daryl," she said suddenly, breaking the silence.

He looked over at her. "You're doing the best thing ya can."

"Then why does it feel like the worst?"

Daryl tore his eyes away from her and at the small town coming into view. He could plainly see the Pharmacy sign on a little store.

When they made it to the door, he stopped her.

"I'll scope it out real quick. Stay here."

She nodded to him and he slipped in. Some of the shelves were toppled over and a lot of things had been taken. There was no sign of walkers though and he peeked his head back out to tell her to come in.

"Come on, it's safe."

She stood frozen, looking back at him.

"C'mon Layna, you can do it. We'd be stupid to turn back now."

She slowly walked closer to him. He leaned in and kissed her on impulse, trying to persuade her to hurry and just get it over with.

"Let's just get this done and put it behind us," he said in her ear as he pulled away from her.

* * *

Layna stepped into the Pharmacy and looked around. She thought maybe the pills would be behind the counter so she headed to the back of the store. She felt numb as she searched the shelves. Daryl fell in behind her and fumbled through the shelves too, quicker than she was. She scanned the names of medicines she'd never heard of, trying to figure out if it was what she was looking for. Her eyes finally fell on a few boxes off by themselves and she slowly reached out and picked one up. She looked down at it, flipping it over to read the back.

"That it?" Daryl asked as he stopped to look at her.

Layna nodded as she stared down at the box in her hands.

"I'll go see if there's some water or anything for you to drink," Daryl suggested as he turned and headed back toward the front of the store.

Layna read over the back.

"Wait, Daryl. This isn't gonna work," she blurted out. "This is just Plan B. It doesn't work after 72 hours or something."

"You gotta be kidding," he yelled from the front of the store.

"No, I'm not." The realization was really hitting home now. She was pregnant and there was nothing she could do about it.

"I don't think little stores like these carry the actual abortion pills," she called back.

Daryl was back at her side in an instant, yanking the box out of her hand.

He hurriedly read over the back.

"Can't you just take a lot of em?"

Layna swallowed hard. "There's only two pills in the box, Daryl. I don't think it works like that anyway."

"How would you know?" he asked desperately.

"I had health class last year," she stammered.

"Damn it!" he cursed.

"Shh, did you hear that?" Layna asked suddenly. She scanned the isles that she could see down from where she was standing.

Daryl listened hard for a minute. "I don't hear nothin."

"It sounded like something moving."

"Let's just get the hell outta here Layna. You'll just have to get Hershel to get rid of it. What the hell is a Plan B pill good for if it only works for 72 hours anyway?" He threw the pill box back to the floor and grabbed her arm.

"Daryl, calm down," she pleaded as she pulled away from him. "I really doubt that a veterinarian can do an abortion."

* * *

Daryl looked back at Layna. She looked strangely calm while he felt like screaming.

"Maybe I've already messed up this pregnancy?"

"What do you mean Layna?"

"I drank alcohol and I took some Aspirin. It says on the back of the Aspirin bottle you aren't supposed too," she rambled on.

"Layna I don't think that'll do a fuckin thing," he snapped at her.

"Well don't yell at me Daryl! It's not my fault that your brother…" she stopped when a sob escaped her throat.

He took a deep breath. He wasn't helping at all. The horrible feeling of knowing there was nothing he could do to help her was killing him.

"Please let's just go back," she begged.

A sudden scraping noise made him freeze.

"Is it a walker?" she gasped.

Daryl lifted his crossbow and listened harder.

"Did it come from that way?" he asked Layna as he pointed to the right of the store, past a few isles.

She nodded. "I think so."

"Alright, stay here," he ordered.

He turned down the first isle, and then the second, deciding that whatever had made the noise would have to be down the last one.

Layna's scream suddenly pierced the air, making him whirl around.

What he saw made his blood run cold. He recognized the man as soon as he saw the scar on his face. He was holding Layna from behind, holding a knife up to her neck. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she stared back at him.

"Drop the fucking knife!" Daryl growled as he threw his crossbow back up.

The man grinned back at him. "Told ya we'd see ya again."

The sound of a gun cocking behind him made him jump.

"Calm down lil brother. Ain't no reason to get your panties in a wad."


	31. Chapter 31

_Author's Note: Thanks for Reviewing! Please continue._

Layna could feel the sharp knife blade pressed against her skin as she watched Merle step out of the last isle, behind Daryl. Her mind practically shut down. She hadn't planned on ever having to see him again.

"What the hell is goin on Merle?" Daryl bellowed.

"Well ain't this a coincidence," Merle laughed. "Guess me and Dillon picked the right time to raid this pharmacy huh?"

"Why are you with this asshole?" Daryl yelled. "Tell him to let her go."

"Ya'll know Dillon?"

"We ran into each other a while back at a store, didn't we sweetheart?" Dillon said teasingly.

"Wow, ain't it a small world," Merle muttered.

Layna shuddered as his gaze met hers.

"Still keeping her around huh Daryl?"

"Merle just make him let her go so we can get the hell outta here."

"We just found each other and you wanna leave already?" Merle asked.

"Ya didn't even wait fer me and Ed at the camp did ya?"

"We got ran out by walkers Merle. Ya'll were the idiots that ran off in Atlanta."

"And look where it got us," Merle said with a smile. "We're better off than we imagined. You should see where we're stayin. You still following them cops around? Never mind, I'm a little more curious about why you two were freaking the hell out in here."

Layna looked back at Daryl as Merle's eyes locked on hers.

"What's with the abortion talk?"

"Just cut the crap Merle and let her go," Daryl yelled again.

"You been fuckin her Daryl?"

Daryl glared back at him.

"You know what I'd say if I had to guess? I'd say you haven't been. You've had this nice piece of ass with you all this time and you still ain't gotten any."

Merle directed his attention back to her. "Got yourself in some kinda trouble, Angel eyes?"

"You're pregnant?" Dillon asked from behind. "Damn, that sucks."

"Just let us go," Layna stammered.

"Not just yet. I wanna take ya'll back to where we're stayin."

"We aren't goin anywhere with you Merle!" Daryl roared as he slung his crossbow at Merle's face.

Merle ducked and shoved the butt of his gun at Daryl's head, barely missing.

Dillon loosened his grip on her and eased the knife off of her neck as he watched the brother's fight ensue. Layna thought frantically, trying to decide when she would have the best chance of a getaway.

When she felt the knife blade totally leave her neck, she pulled away from him. It was easier than she thought and she tore down the isle that lead to the front of the store.

"Get back here!" Dillon yelled.

She could hear his heavy footsteps right behind her.

"Keep running Layna!" Daryl yelled.

She was worried about him but she knew she wouldn't be any help sticking around with a knife to her throat. She ran out of the pharmacy and into the desolate town. Now what was she supposed to do? She knew she probably couldn't outrun this man and if she ran down the road to the farm he would only catch her. She ran around the pharmacy, looping around and going back inside the store close by it. She immediately hid by a few huge stacks of animal feed bags in the corner. She listened hard for the sound of Dillon or Merle coming after her as she cautiously looked around the rest of the store. It was full of farming equipment and animal supplies. Feeling that it would only be a matter of time before they found her, she crawled over and grabbed the closet tool, a screwdriver. As she returned to her hiding spot, she heard a noise in the back of the store. Her eyes frantically searched the back before she realized where it had come from. A lone walker was roaming the very back of the store after coming out of an open storage room. She ducked lower behind the feed sacks as she held her breath. Now there was danger inside and outside.

As the walker trudged unknowingly closer to her she contemplated running back outside, but the voices of Merle and Dillon stopped her.

"She couldn't have gotten far," Dillon muttered. "She's probably hidin in one of these stores."

"Go put him in the van and pulled it around here. I'll find her," Merle ordered.

The walker turned back toward the front of the store upon hearing the men's voices outside. Instead of heading outside, it's lifeless eyes locked on hers. Layna froze as it moaned and lumbered in her direction. She sat still for as long as she could, trying to allow the men outside time to leave. When it got closer she ran around the food sacks and back out the door, the screwdriver still in her hand. She rounded the corner of the store and turned back to see if the walker was following her.

She felt like she ran into a ton of bricks as two strong hands grabbed her, making her turn back around.

"Uh ha! You just don't stop trying do ya?" Merle rasped. She felt him fumbling, trying to take the screwdriver out of her hand.

"No let go of me!" She screamed. "There's a walker back there!"

Merle finally pulled the screwdriver out of her hand and tossed it on the ground as he started dragging her around the back of the store as the walker rounded the corner. Layna let him quickly drag her away from the walker. She started struggling again however when she saw the white van heading their way. It pulled over quickly beside them.

"No!" Layna shrieked. She decided she would rather take her chances with the walker now. Dillon jumped out of the van and opened the side door as Merle pushed and shoved her toward it. She went head first into the open back of the van, Merle right behind her. She struggled onto her knees and realized Daryl was laying in the back too.

"Daryl!" She screamed as she reached out for him. He was laying still with his eyes closed. There was an obvious bloody wound on his head. Merle grabbed her arms as Dillon slammed the sliding door back.

"Shit!" he yelled from outside. "There's a fuckin walker!"

Merle pulled her arms back behind her and slipped something cold around them. She heard the click, realizing that they were handcuffs.

"I sure need to thank whoever left that black bag of guns at camp. There was a lot of useful shit in there," Merle grunted.

"You killed him!" Layna gasped as she looked at Daryl who still wasn't moving.

"Shut up and quit being a little bitch!" Merle hissed. "He ain't dead."

The van lurched forward quickly, almost making Layna fall over and leaving the lone walker on the side of the road.

Layna stared out the windows, trying to soak up the surroundings so she could get back to the farm if she escaped. Merle seemed to notice.

"Hey Dillon throw me your handkerchief!" Merle yelled from beside her.

A red handkerchief flew from the front of the van and Merle snatched it up.

He grabbed her hair, pulling her closer as he wrapped it over her eyes and tied it in the back.

"Now, we can't have you making an escape," he grunted. She heard him moving back to the front of the van.

She prayed that Daryl would wake up soon. She figured Merle had hit him with the butt of his gun, something he seemed to do quite often when people weren't doing what he wanted.

* * *

"So were you even gonna tell me you're pregnant with my kid?" Merle asked as he sat in a chair beside her.

Layna struggled against the rope that her feet were tied to the chair with. She knew there was no hope in getting her hands out of the handcuffs.

"How do you know it's yours?" She spat back.

"Well who've you been fuckin then? One of them cops? I sure as hell know it ain't been Daryl. I don't think I've ever seen him touch a woman. Oh or maybe it was before all this huh? I'm just gonna go with ma gut feelin though and say I don't think you'd been with anybody before me."

"You asshole," Layna muttered.

Merle leapt out of his chair and raised his hand like he was going to hit her but he held back.

Layna flinched and looked around the cubicle she was in. She wondered exactly where they were. From what'd she'd seen as they walked in she was pretty sure they were in an office building, but were they back in Atlanta? The ride had definitely been pretty long.

"I don't know why he's so hell bent on keepin you safe though. If he ain't fuckin you then why the hell does he care? You ain't doin nothin for him."

"He isn't like you Merle," Layna stammered.

Merle laughed.

"Don't pretend like it ain't mine," Merle muttered. "Why else would you be so quick to get rid of it? You were gonna kill my kid weren't ya?"

Layna looked back at the floor. Just seeing his face made her feel sick.

"Ya know, i had an aunt that always told me i'd surprise everybody by settlin down and havin a bunch of kids. She was stupid. I bet you'd make a pretty baby though."

Layna swallowed hard.

"Hell, i reckon everybody's gotta repopulate some time. I guess yer kinda stuck with me now aren't ya?"

A shrill scream followed by crying suddenly interrupted him. It sounded like a little girl.

"Is that Sophia?" Layna gasped.

"Yep. Found her yesterday. Them cops do such a good job of keeping people safe don't they."

"What are they doing to her?" Layna squeaked.

"I don't know. Ed's watchin her. Ole Matt has a hard time keepin his hands to himself though."

"You can't let anybody hurt her!" Layna begged.

"She's Ed's kid. You gonna be that protective of our kid?"

"I thought I said don't fuckin touch her!" Ed's voice came from another room.

"See," Merle muttered as he walked away. "I'll be back."

* * *

When Daryl opened his eyes, he realized his hands were handcuffed behind his back and his feet were tied to the chair he was sitting on. His head throbbed and he looked around trying to figure out where he was. It looked like an office. He could see cubicles all over the room, like the one he was in. It was fairly dark, and the only light was coming from a few small windows. Merle had finally totally lost it. What the hell did he think he was doing? He suddenly thought about Layna. Had she gotten away?

"Merle!" he yelled. "Get your ass over here!"

"Daryl!" Layna's voice came from across the room.

"Calm the fuck down Daryl," Merle muttered as he came into view.

"Merle you better not touch her!"

"Oh I plan too. You goin for sloppy seconds now little brother?"

Daryl scowled back at Merle.

"Where the hell are we?" He demanded as he looked around.

"Our own little building in the middle of Atlanta."

"Our?" Daryl asked. "Who else is here?"

"Well," Merle started. " We have me and Ed, Dillon and Matt, and our newest editions, you, Layna, and Ed's kid."

"Sophia?" Daryl choked out.

"Yep. Found her wandering all by herself yesterday. Anybody coulda just picked her up."

"You can't fuckin keep us here, Merle!"

"Well seems like I can keep that bitch here since she's pregnant with my kid and all."

"Shut the hell up," Daryl growled.

"What's wrong with ya Daryl? If ya weren't actin a fool you wouldn't be tied to the chair, ya know."

"I'm the one actin a fool Merle?" Daryl asked.

Merle headed back out of the cubicle. "When you calm down I'll untie you."

Daryl groaned and struggled against the rope again. How was he going to get him and Layna out of this? He couldn't forget about Sophia too. She couldn't stay here either. He knew he had to figure something out.


	32. Chapter 32

Layna could hear Merle talking to Daryl from across the room. She strained her ears to try and make out words, but they soon went quiet.

"Layna! He didn't hurt you did he?" Daryl's voice broke the silence.

"No, he didn't!" she yelled back even though she was afraid it was only a matter of time.

Layna pulled her legs, trying to loosen the tight rope that bound her ankles to the legs of the chair.

"You ain't gonna get outta this."

She looked up to see Ed propped against the wall smoking a cigarette. She couldn't think of a single time she'd seen him without one.

"My wife still alive?"

Layna looked away from him. "Why would you care?"

"Quit bein a smart mouth bitch and answer the damn question."

Layna shrugged. "I don't know Ed."

Ed glared back at her. "You think you're somethin don't ya."

"You're just a little whore. That's all you are. Ain't good for nothin else."

He walked closer to her. "Just tell me where everybody's holed up at so I can go get her."

"She doesn't want you Ed. You aren't bringing her back here." Layna answered sharply.

Ed glared back at her. "I hope Merle beats the hell outta you."

He leaned in closer to her. "You need to be worryin about your own ass before you worry about everybody else's."

Layna bit her tongue as he glared down at her. She watched as he took the cigarette out of his mouth and looked down at it before looking back at her. He held it out like he was going to touch her on her shoulder with the burning end.

"Don't touch me with that," she muttered as she leaned away from him.

"Oh you think I won't do it?"

* * *

Daryl nearly leapt out of his chair when he heard Layna cry out. He felt helpless as he struggled against the handcuffs and rope.

Daryl suddenly saw Sophia dart by.

"Sophia!" he hissed.

She slowly peeked her head in and saw him.

"Who's in there?" he demanded. "Who's hurting her?"

"Daddy," the little girl said in her softest voice.

"What's he doing?"

"I don't know," she answered. "I'm scared."

"We're gonna get you out of here, Sophia. You have to do something for me though. Can you find the handcuff keys?"

"I don't know where they are," she said nervously as she looked back to see if anyone was coming after her.

"Look in the black bag they keep…or had the guns in. The keys may be in a pocket of the bag or something, but don't get caught. Be careful," he warned.

Sophia nodded quickly. "I'll try."

"Here, untie my feet," he ordered.

"Sophia! I thought I told you not to run off!" Ed's voice called from across the room.

"I'm sorry Daryl!" Sophia squeaked quietly. "I can't right now. I'll try and come back."

Daryl watched Sophia run back to the sound of Ed's voice. He hoped she didn't get herself caught.

"Ed!" Daryl yelled. "Get over here!"

"What the hell do you want?" Ed asked as he made his way over to his cubicle prison cell.

"Don't you ever touch Layna again."

"Well seein as how you can't do nothin about it, I'd say I can do what ever I want to her. Merle would probably let me have a go with her."

"Ya'll are fuckin crazy!" Daryl roared.

"Maybe you can answer my question. Is Carol still alive?"

"You're not bringing her here," Daryl ordered.

"See now that's the same damn answer I got from that bitch. I swear you aint' nothin like your brother," Merle muttered as he turned and walked away.

* * *

Layna gritted her teeth as she looked at the circle burn from Ed's cigarette on her shoulder, close by her tank top strap. It hurt like hell. She'd never gotten a burn like that before. She heard someone's boots scraping the floor and readied herself to see Ed again, probably coming back to torture her.

She wasn't at all relieved when she realized it was Merle instead.

"Hey angel eyes," he said as he shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a little key.

"Now listen to me. I'm gonna untie your legs and un cuff you. You better not run again. There's only one way outta this building and it's always guarded."

"Where are we going?" Layna stammered.

"The roof," he said as he bent down and started untying her ankles form the chair legs.

"Why?"

He didn't answer her. He stood back up and grabbed one of her arms that were still behind her back.

"Why are we going to the roof?" she demanded nervously as he pulled her off the chair.

"Don't you think roofs are more romantic than an office?"

"No no no. Don't do this!" Layna cried as she tried to pull away from him.

"Shut the hell up or I'll give you something to really cry about."

* * *

Daryl once again heard the commotion of somebody giving Layna a hard time. It only took him a little while to realized that it was Merle. This was it. He was failing her again.

"Merle!" he yelled. "You can't do this!"

Sophia suddenly flew back into the room, her eyes wide.

"I found a key!"

"Shh hurry up and unlock these handcuffs then!" Daryl hissed.

Sophia leaned down behind him and fumbled with the cuffs.

"I..can't…get it."

"Layna's in trouble ya have to hurry!"

"I got one!"

"Well here, give me the damn key. Untie my feet," he ordered.

Sophia handed the key over to him with shaking hands and he hurriedly unlocked his other hand as she untied his feet. He jumped up and handed her the key back. "Hold on to this for me. Don't lose it."

"What are we going to do?" she asked desperately as she looked up at him.

"Going to get Layna. Where are the guns?"

"They're down there, but daddy and those other guys are down there."

"Shit! C'mon, we're going to the roof," Daryl said as he darted out of the cubicle and in the direction he had heard Merle taking Layna to the roof.

Sophia stuck to his side like glue as they made it to the stairs and door that led to the roof. He stopped briefly before going up. He didn't know what he was going to do. Sophia's scared eyes met his.

"We have to save her!" she whispered nervously.

Daryl turned away from her and ran up the steps, bursting through the half closed door.

Merle turned from Layna immediately. She was handcuffed to a pipe and Merle was crouched beside her.

"What the hell?" Merle growled as he stood up.

"Let her go, Merle," Daryl ordered.

"Or what little brother? You gonna beat me up?"

* * *

Layna breathed a sigh of relief as Daryl stood with Sophia on the rooftop. He looked unsure though and she was wondering how he was going to get Merle to let her go.

"Go ahead," Merle teased as he walked closer to Daryl. "Hit me."

Layna held her breath as Daryl stared back at Merle. Sophia stood nervously behind Daryl.

Daryl threw a punch at Merle and Sophia darted out of the way as Merle threw one back.

"Unlock Layna's handcuffs!" Daryl yelled to Sophia as he dodged Merle's fist.

"Hurry!" Layna screamed as Sophia ran toward her. The little girl kneeled down beside her and got right to work at unlocking the one cuff that held her hand to the pipe.

Layna jumped up, letting the other handcuff remain attached to the pipe. She looked on nervously as Daryl and Merle rolled on the ground. Layna ran over, unsure of what to do or how to help, but Daryl pinned Merle to the ground about the time she made it over to them.

Daryl punched him a few times in the face and Merle stopped fighting back as hard. Daryl leapt off his stunned brother and grabbed his arms, pulling him in the direction of the pipe.

"Get the handcuffs ready!" Daryl grunted as he continued dragging his heavy brother toward them.

Layna ran over and grabbed the handcuff, closing it around Merle's wrist as Daryl let go of him.

She immediately stepped back as Merle recovered and realized he was handcuffed to the pipe.

"Fuckin let me go!" he screamed.

Layna reached down and scooped up the key that Sophia had left lying on the ground and kicked a few random tools out of his reach.

"What the hell are you doin Daryl? You can't leave me here man."

Layna looked at Daryl who was pacing now.

"We've gotta get Sophia out of here!" Layna pleaded as the little girl held onto her shirt.

"C'mon," Daryl ordered as he motioned to the door they had come out of.

"We'll go get the guns and then.." he trailed off.

"We aren't coming back to get him are we?" Layna asked worriedly as she looked at Daryl.

He looked torn. "I don't know."

Layna followed him with Sophia right behind her as he tore back down the stairs.

"Daryl! I'm gonna kill you and that fuckin bitch!" Merle yelled from the roof.

Daryl went back and shut the door behind them that led to the roof before leading the way past all the cubicles in the big office room.

"What are we doing Daryl?" Layna stammered.

"We're going to get the guns first," he answered her.

"How? All of those men are down there."

"I'll watch them and make sure they aren't around the room with the guns. Get Sophia to show you were they are and then come back for me."

"What?" Layna gasped. "What if they hurt you?"

"They won't!" he hissed. "Just go get the guns and I'll be behind you."

Layna reached down and grabbed Sophia's hand letting the girl lead her down the stairs to the bottom floor. She froze as she saw Ed and the other two men sitting by a barricaded door, smoking. Their backs were turned so Sophia whisked her quickly to an open room close by.

The black bag of guns was empty and laying on a desk while all of the guns were sitting around the room.

"Shit," Layna grumbled under her breath. She turned back and didn't see Daryl behind them.

Layna began grabbing the guns and gently placing them back inside the bag, trying to be as quiet as possible. She kept out a handgun much like the one Shane had let her use because it was loaded already and threw the heavy bag over her shoulder.

She turned back to Sophia who had stood and watched her the entire time.

"C'mon," she whispered as she motioned for the door.

With Sophia on her heels, she peeked out the door, nearly running into Daryl who was standing right beside the door.

"I think there's a door around back," Daryl whispered.

"What the hell?" Ed's voice came from the door. Layna whirled around and saw all three men standing and staring at them.

Layna held out the loaded gun and pointed it at them, making them stop in their tracks.

"Whoa!" Dillon muttered. "Chill out sweetheart."

"It ain't that serious," Ed said nervously.

Layna looked over at Daryl, unsure of what to do next. He looked back at her like he was thinking. As she let her eyes drift back to the men, she saw Matt pulling a small gun out of the waistband of his jeans. She pulled the trigger on instinct, hitting him in the chest. Matt fell backwards, causing Ed and Dillon to panic. Dillon dove for Matt's gun and Layna shot at him too, missing this time. The bullet hit the glass doors of the store, causing it to shatter and the other two men held up their hands.

"Calm down!" Ed yelled. "Let's work something out."

"No!" Layna shrieked as she kept the gun pointed at them. "There's nothing to work out!"

"Give me the gun, Layna," Daryl ordered sternly.

Layna handed Daryl the gun from her shaking hands.

"Walkers!" Sophia squeaked as she pointed out the now busted glass door.

Layna looked behind the men and saw them. There were dozens of walkers, coming toward them as if the gunshots had been dinner bells.

"Shit!" Daryl muttered.

Dillon and Ed started nervously walking in their direction and away from the glass doors.

"You gotta let us get away from them walkers!" Ed pleaded.

"Stand still!' Daryl ordered. He turned to look at Layna and Sophia.

"Go out the back door I was telling you about. Now. I'll be there in a minute."

"What the hell Daryl?" Layna gasped. "I'm not going without you!"

"Go now!" Daryl yelled. "Get Sophia out of here!"

Layna grabbed Sophia's hand and headed toward the back of the building where Daryl had said there was a probably a back door.

She saw it, and pulled Sophia in its direction. It was locked with a chain.

"Daryl!" she yelled. "It's locked!"

She heard a screams from the front of the store so she pulled Sophia close to her, making sure she didn't look back at her father. Layna figured the walkers had just made it to the two men.

Daryl ran around to them and pointed to the stairs that led back to the second floor. Layna ran toward them and Daryl stopped her for a second as he took the heavy bag off her back. She took the handgun from him and they ran up the stairs.

"What now?" Layna gasped.

"Shoot the window!" Daryl ordered.

Layna shot the glass and Daryl looked out of it.

He nodded. "Ya'll go! There's a fire escape. I can't leave Merle!"

Layna stopped. "Daryl, please just come with us. You can't bring him with us!"

Daryl looked back at her and then back to the end of the room where the stairs that lead to the roof were.

A walker emerged from the first floor and Layna hurriedly pushed Sophia to the window. Sophia climbed out onto the small fire escape and Layna followed.

"Please!" Layna pleaded. "You have to come on! We need you down here!"

Daryl looked back at the walker and back at her.

"He's only going to get you killed! Please come on! I love you Daryl!"

Daryl looked back at her for a second and then handed the bag to her as he climbed out of the window onto the fire escape beside her.


	33. Chapter 33

_Author's Note: Thanks so much for reviewing! I'm glad this story has turned into something interesting enough for you all to keep reading. I'm trying to update everyday, but I'm writing the chapters as I go so I never know just how long it will take. Enjoy and Keep reviewing! _

Layna looked down at the street below them as Daryl took the heavy bag from her once again.

"We gotta get outta Atlanta," he said desperately

She nodded. It definitely wasn't safe, especially since it would be dark soon.

Layna's eyes fell on the white van they'd been brought to the city in. It was parked toward the front of the building.

"There's their van! Maybe the keys are in it," she said as she pointed to it. Daryl nodded and hurried down the steps. Layna followed quickly with Sophia right behind her.

She looked around nervously as they made it off the fire escape and onto the street. Daryl made it to the van first and threw open the driver's door.

"They're not here!" he hissed as he leaned in.

Layna quickly looked down the street, checking for walkers. When she turned back, Daryl was pulling his crossbow out of the van.

"Let's find another one then, before the walkers hear us," Layna suggested nervously.

Daryl turned and looked around. "Let's try them." He pointed to a group of cars parked on the side of the street. He ran to the first one and she ran to the second.

"There isn't a key in this one either Daryl."

"These are probably only here cause they ain't got keys," Daryl grumbled.

Layna ran for the last car that was a little ways down the street. The door was locked so she peered in. As she looked up from the car, she saw the walkers.

"Shit!" she hissed.

Five or so walkers were stumbling and dragging themselves down the street toward them.

"Walkers!" she yelled as she ran back to Daryl and Sophia.

Daryl held out his crossbow and looked around for an escape.

Layna held out her gun.

"What are we gonna do?" she asked desperately.

"Don't shoot!" Daryl muttered under his breath. "It only draws em in. Get in the car!"

"Why? There's no keys!"

"Just get in!" Daryl growled as he threw open the back door of the older blue car, tossing the gun bag and his crossbow inside. Layna ran over to the other side, helping Sophia into the back before jumping into the front.

Daryl slammed his door just as the walkers made it to the back of the car and Layna reached over and locked all of the doors. The walkers' bony hands and fingers pushed on the back windows as they tried to get in.

"I'm gonna try and hot wire it," Daryl said as he pushed the driver's seat back a little so he could reach underneath the steering wheel.

Layna watched him as he pulled a knife out of his boot.

The walkers surrounded the car, now. Their rotting faces pressed against the windows.

"What if it doesn't work?" Sophia started to cry as she sunk farther into the seat.

Layna held her breath as Daryl pulled out wires. She looked nervously back out the windows. It was terrifying being trapped and that close to them, even if their was glass in between them. She breathed a sigh of relief when the car finally started. Daryl wasted no time in pulling away from the walkers and speeding down the street.

* * *

Daryl didn't loosen his grip on the steering wheel until they were leaving the city. It was nerve wracking just passing by the hordes of walkers that were still wandering the streets. When they were finally on their way back out to the farm, he could finally process what had happened. He'd left his brother chained to a roof in the middle of Atlanta. He looked over at Layna who was sitting quietly. He'd done it for her and Sophia. There wouldn't have been any way of saving Layna with Merle capable of fighting back. He'd practically just killed his brother though. Did doing it to save Layna make it okay?

"Are you guys taking me back to my mom?" Sophia asked softly.

"Yeah we are," Layna answered her as she turned to face her. "She's gonna be so happy to see you."

"Thanks for saving me back there, Daryl," Layna said softly as she turned back to face the front of the car.

Daryl looked away from her and back at the road. He turned on the headlights. He figured it would be totally dark by the time they made it back to the farm. Layna's words kept replaying in his head. She said she loved him. She couldn't really mean it though, could she?

* * *

Layna didn't say anything the rest of the ride. She didn't know what to say, and he didn't seem to want to talk. He left his brother for walker bait because of her and she couldn't help but feel like he may resent her because of it. She'd always heard that when you were in a dire situation real emotions and feelings surfaced. She hadn't planned on blurting out that she loved him it just happened. She really cared about him and he obviously cared about her. Where would they go from here?

Layna cleared her throat as they turned down the gravel drive that led to the farm.

"I think I'm going to tell Lori the truth," she concluded. "I can't keep it a secret forever."

Daryl stole a quick glance back at her before looking back out the windshield.

When they pulled up next to the farmhouse everyone poured out of it, anxious to see what was going on. As Layna climbed out of the car, Lori frantically ran toward her.

"Layna! I thought something had happened to you!"

Layna pulled away from her sister as Sophia climbed out of the back seat. Sophia ran to Carol as everyone looked on with open mouths. Carol cried as she held her daughter close.

"What the hell happened to ya'll?" Rick demanded as Daryl climbed out and opened the back door of the car.

Daryl pulled out the black bag and handed it over to him. "Here."

Rick stared down at the bag practically overflowing with guns. "Where'd you find it?" he asked.

"Where did you find Sophia?" Carol cried as she looked back at Daryl and Layna.

"Atlanta," Layna answered quickly.

Carol ran over and hugged Layna, surprising her. "Thank you so much for bringing my daughter back to me."

Lori grabbed Layna's arm when Carol let go of her. "Why the hell did you both go to Atlanta?"

"It wasn't planned," Layna said quickly. She looked back at Daryl, almost unsure of what to say.

"Merle and Ed, along with two other guys kidnapped us," she explained. "They already had Sophia."

Everyone stopped.

"Merle and Ed?" Shane asked angrily.

Shane and Rick seemed to understand the seriousness more than everyone else. They knew what Merle had done to her.

"They're gone now," Daryl snapped.

"Ed?" Carol asked nervously.

"He's gone," Layna repeated. "So is Merle."

* * *

Daryl stayed outside while everyone else, including Layna went inside. He knew she would fill them in on what happened, excluding what Merle had done to her along with her pregnancy. She probably wouldn't announce that to everyone. He wondered if she would actually tell her sister the truth. What did it mean if she was actually telling people now? Did it mean she was actually going to have it? She'd pretty much told him there was no other choice at the pharmacy. He still wanted her to talk to Hershel. Maybe he could get rid of it.

He turned when he heard the door open behind him.

"Why are you out by yourself?" Layna asked quietly as she walked over to where he was standing by the porch railing.

"Did you tell them everythin?"

"I told them the basics," she answered.

"Did you tell your sister the truth?"

"Not yet, but I will. Listen, I'm sorry it had to come down to that back in Atlanta."

Daryl turned to look at her in the porch light.

"I feel terrible, Daryl."

"It's not your fault," he muttered. "It was Merle's."

He let his eyes drift down to a red, terribly swollen, circular mark just below her collarbone.

When she noticed he was looking at it she looked down too.

"What in the.." he trailed off as he grabbed her arm, bringing her closer to get a better look.

"Ed burnt me with his cigarette," she murmured. "It's just a burn. Hurt like hell though," she added.

He let go of her arm and looked back at her face.

"Did you meant it Layna?"

She looked back at him. "Mean what? The cigarette? Yeah what else would it be?"

"No, what you said before we left." he watched as her expression changed when she realized what he meant.

She nodded. "Yeah of course."

"Why?" he asked.

"What do you mean why?"

"Why would you?" he asked again.

She looked like she was getting frustrated. "How can you ask that Daryl? I just do. You're different than everybody else, in a good way. You're the only one who understands me and obviously you care about me as much as I care about you. But if I'm wrong about that feel free to correct me. Maybe I misunderstood your kindness for something more." She looked like she was going to cry. "If I did you should just let me know so-"

Daryl leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, quickly ending her sentence.

* * *

Layna pulled away from him.

"You can't keep doing this to me. I know you're going through just as much as me, but we have to be honest with each other," she said sadly.

"Where are we headed with this Daryl?" She looked back at his face, only inches away from hers.

"Wherever you want it to go," he answered.

"You're not going to resent me forever because of what happened?" she asked.

"How could I?" he shot back. "It was my decision to leave him in the end."

"But if it wasn't for me, you would still be with him."

"No, if it wasn't for you, I'd be watching his stoned ass and making sure he didn't do anything to get me killed," Daryl argued. "He was my brother but i know he was wrong. He did a lot of things wrong. It had to happen. I had to leave him."

Layna looked back at Daryl. She knew it took a lot for him to leave Merle.

"Well tell me the truth, Daryl. What do you want me to do about this baby?" Layna asked.

Daryl looked back at her as she nervously awaited his answer.

"Whatever you want to do. Tell me what you want to do. It's not my choice to make."

Layna took a deep breath. "The way I see it, I don't have much of a choice." she shrugged her shoulders as she lowered her voice. "Getting Hershel to perform an abortion is…well it's crazy and dangerous."

"So you wanna have Merle's baby?" Daryl butted in.

"It's not that I want to Daryl. I don't see where I have much of a choice."

"We could figure something out Layna!"

"And all of that includes murdering an innocent baby." The words tumbled out of her mouth. "It didn't ask to be in this situation just like I didn't!"

Daryl looked shocked at her words. He stepped away from her and looked back out into the darkness.

"Have you thought about it like that Daryl? I've given it a lot of thought, trust me. That's about all I can do. Does it deserve to die for what Merle did?"

"Why do you have to think about it like that Layna?" he growled.

"Because that's what it is Daryl. A baby. It's part of me too, whether you and I like it or not." She stopped when she felt tears brimming in her eyes.

* * *

Daryl listened to what Layna had to say. She made him feel terrible. He wasn't even the one going through the physical pain of the situation and yet he had been convinced that the best thing was to just get rid of it. Here was Layna, having to deal with it all and she was thinking about the baby. Not herself. Why did she have to be such a good person?

"I'm going to talk to Lori about it," she sniffled from behind him. "I just need someone to have my back."

"Wait, do ya want me to come with you?" he asked as he turned back to face her.

"For support? Yes. To make me feel even worse? No."

"I'm not here to make ya feel worse, Layna."


	34. Chapter 34

_Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. Here's two chapters. Thanks you all for the reviews! I love hearing feedback!_

Daryl followed Layna back into the house. He knew she would probably need someone there when she told Lori. Fireworks were going to fly and he knew it was going to be bad. Layna walked right over to Lori who was sitting on the couch.

"Lori, we need to talk," Layna said quietly. He could hear the nervousness in her voice.

"What is it?" Lori asked.

"Can we talk outside Lori?" Daryl watched as Lori stood up and followed Layna toward the door. Everyone in the room had stopped and were watching, trying to figure out what was going on.

Layna turned back to look at him and he followed them out the door.

He shut the door behind him and Lori looked at him.

"What's going on?"

"You might wanna sit down, Lori," Layna suggested as she took a deep breath.

Lori stayed on her feet as she stared Layna down. "Just tell me what's going on," she demanded.

Layna looked at him before she began. Daryl felt numb as she explained what Merle did to her. Layna stopped a few times, trying to keep herself from crying. Lori went from staring wide eyed to completely breaking down as Layna tried to calm her down.

"Lori shhhh. Calm down please!" Layna begged as she moved closer to Lori who had leaned herself against the wall of the farmhouse.

"How could you not tell us!" Lori shrieked. She went from crying to yelling and screaming in seconds.

"I'm not even finished, Lori," Layna said softly. She paused for a second and swallowed hard. Lori went silent as she stared back at her sister. The pained expression on Layna's face was killing him. He let himself walk passed Lori and over to Layna. He slipped his around her waist and pulled her close to him.

"It's alright, Layna," he said softly.

Layna looked back at Lori.

"Dr. Jenner told me that I'm pregnant,and it has to be Merle's."

Daryl looked back at Lori, waiting for a reaction like the previous one he'd seen but she stayed expressionless. He almost wondered if she was even breathing.

"Lori?" Layna asked nervously. "Say something. Please. Anything."

"Why the hell would you wait so long to tell anybody that?" Lori screamed.

"I told Shane and Rick a while back."

"How could you not tell me?"

Lori's eyes met Daryl's. "And you! How could you just…You knew this whole time too?"

"Leave him alone, Lori," Layna ordered.

"We'll just get rid of it!" Lori said suddenly.

Daryl was pretty sure Lori was working on reassuring herself more than Layna.

Layna explained that it had been too long for the pills at the pharmacy and Lori looked defeated. She crumpled to the porch floor about the time Rick and Shane burst out of the farmhouse.

"What the hell is going on?" Shane yelled as he looked at Lori who was crying on the floor and then back to Layna.

* * *

Layna pulled away from Daryl and sat down beside Lori on the porch. "Lori please calm down," she begged as Rick squatted beside them.

"What's going on?" Rick demanded.

Lori looked up at Rick and then back to her.

"She's pregnant Rick!" Lori blurted out. Rick stared back at her.

"What?" he asked.

"What the hell?" Shane exploded.

"Dr. Jenner told me I was," Layna murmured.

Layna regretted telling Lori as soon as she did. Before she knew it, she was being whisked back into the farmhouse by Lori, Rick, and Shane who were demanding for Hershel to see her. Everyone else stood frozen as they watched her being dragged into the kitchen where Hershel stood. Shane and Lori blurted out Layna's predicament in bits and pieces, overwhelming Hershel who was trying his best to understand. Layna felt sick. She didn't need everyone to do this for her. They were only making it worse, and she was afraid everyone in the living room had heard.

Hershel looked back at her.

"Layna? When did this happen?"

"I don't know. It was a few days after the whole infection or whatever totally exploded. That's when I ran into Merle," She added slowly.

"There's nothing I can do and no way I can tell for sure that you are pregnant for sure," he said sadly as he looked back at her.

"If it was as long ago as you were saying, then I don't have any way to end it."

Lori covered her grief stricken face with her hand. "What are we going to do? She can't be pregnant. She's only eighteen. How could something that horrible happen to her?"

"We don't understand God's plan," Hershel said softly.

"You're saying this is God's plan?" Shane hissed. "How could God let something like that happen?"

"Well what are you suggesting she do then?" Rick asked.

Hershel sat down at the kitchen table as he rubbed his tired eyes.

"Layna needs to wait it out until enough time has passed that she can take a test. She may be able to take one now, I don't know. I don't think a doctor of his intelligence would lie about something like that. I think the best thing to do would be to prepare in case."

"Prepare in what way?" Layna asked as she took a seat beside Hershel at the table.

"Prenatal vitamins, making sure you get enough fluids and food. If you are pregnant we'll need to make sure both you and the baby will be healthy."

Layna looked away from him and back at Lori, Rick, and Shane who were still standing.

"We can get someone to run to the pharmacy tomorrow and get a test and other things," Hershel suggested. "But I would suggest taking more than one test if it comes out negative. It could just be too soon. Who did you say was this man?"

"Merle," Rick said as he scowled.

"Daryl's brother," Shane muttered.

"Shane, don't you dare act like that again," Layna snapped. "Daryl saved me from him earlier today. He left his brother chained to a roof for God's sakes. Don't even try to say he's like his brother."

Layna walked out of the kitchen, leaving everyone and heading up to the room she'd been sleeping in. Their reactions were worse than she'd imagined and she was even more scared now. She wanted to stay in this room and just never come out. By tomorrow, everyone would know what had happened to her and she didn't want to face their judging looks. In the middle of all of this horror she was a victim and so was this baby. Never in her life had she wanted kids, and bringing a kid into the world as it was now was a terrifying idea. Layna stopped in front of the antique dresser mirror. She inspected the burn on her shoulder and then looked at her face. Her reflection looked sad and lost. She let her eyes drift down to her flat stomach that the thin tank top covered. How long would it be flat?

* * *

Daryl stayed outside for a while, unsure of what was going on inside the house. When he couldn't take it any longer he went to find Layna. As he stepped inside the living room, everyone looked at him. He could hear Lori, Hershel, Shane and Rick talking in the kitchen, but they weren't being quiet. He could plainly hear their conversation and so could everyone else. He walked past everyone's judging eyes and headed down the hall toward the room he knew was Layna's. He figured just because Merle was his brother they would probably be blaming him. He quietly peeked in the half closed door. Layna was standing in front of the mirror. She had a hand pressed against her stomach as she looked down at it. Daryl stopped, not wanting to interrupt her. Her expression was solemn. Even when she acted like that, he couldn't help but think of how beautiful she looked. He touched the door gently, trying to open it a little more, but a loud creak made her whirl around. Her hand immediately dropped from her stomach.

"You scared me," she said breathlessly.

"Sorry, I'll leave you alone," he said as he took a step back, feeling awkward for being caught watching her.

"I don't wanna be alone," she said softly.

* * *

Layna watched Daryl stand unsurely in the doorway, before he finally stepped in.

"They didn't take it good at all," she said sadly as she looked back in the mirror.

"You can't blame em for that," Daryl said as he walked over to her.

Layna stared at his reflection in the mirror as he stepped close to her.

"I think I'm just going to say in this room forever now. I don't want to see everyone feeling sorry for me."

He looked back at her reflection in the mirror.

"I'm just scared," she murmured.

Daryl stepped behind her and leaned in close to her neck. He gently pulled her hair to the other side.

"It's gonna be alright," he assured her quietly in her ear.

Layna squeezed her eyes shut to keep the tears in.

* * *

Daryl hated to see her like this. It hurt to see someone as gentle and caring as she was suffer.

"Hershel said I need to start taking prenatal vitamins just in case," she said softly as she opened her eyes. "And I think someone is going to pick up a test tomorrow, but it may be too soon to use. God, Everyone is going to treat me like I'm a weak damaged person now."

"You're not weak," Daryl he stared at her from the mirror.

"I'm going to bed," she said as she turned away from the mirror. "You don't have to leave if you don't want too."

"Good, Cause I ain't sleepin in that truck again."

* * *

Layna laid down on the bed, not even bothering to change out of her blue jean shorts and tank top. She watched Daryl as he took off his boots and t-shirt before laying down beside her. As she looked over at him, in the dim lamplight, she noticed scars on his chest.

"What happened?" she asked as she lifted her head up a little.

"Nothin," he grunted as he looked down at his chest. He seemed to shut down.

"It doesn't look like it was nothing."

"I said it's nothin," he snapped as he leaned over and grabbed his shirt off the floor.

"Don't," she said as she leaned over closer to him. "Nobody's perfect, Daryl."

"I'm pretty sure I'll have a scar here," she said softly as she pointed to the cigarette burn on her shoulder.

"Ain't gonna be as bad as these."

"They aren't that bad," she assured him as she scooted closer. She let her hand slowly reach out and touch the scars, gently running her fingers down them. He reached up and grabbed her wrist, pulling it back down. Layna realized she'd crossed a line and looked away from him.

"You don't have to tell me," she said. "It's none of my business."

"Let's just say I don't have as fond memories of my dad as you do of yours."

Layna bit her lip as she looked back at him. "I'm sorry Daryl."

"It ain't your fault. Why do ya always apologize for everythin?"

"I don't know," she muttered.

Layna sat quietly for a while before attempting another conversation.

"How am I going to face everyone tomorrow?"

"I'll be there," he murmured.

"Don't let Shane make you mad," she said softly. He'd already started talking about him, she could only imagine what he would be saying by tomorrow.

"I don't give a damn what he says," he grumbled.

"Good."

Layna rolled over onto her side, facing him. "Do you think we're going to stay here? I mean it seems so safe here, I don't understand why the walkers haven't found It yet."

He looked over at her. "I don't know. I say we can't leave."

"Well if they decide to kick us out or something we'd have too," Layna muttered.

"They won't kick you out if you're pregnant," Daryl started. "It's too dangerous out there."

Layna looked down at her stomach as she chewed her bottom lip.

"Hershel called it God's plan, ya know."

Daryl raised his eyebrows at her. "God's plan? Damn God has a sick sense of humor."

"I don't know," Layna said softly. "I don't understand why any of this would happen."

Daryl didn't answer her again. Laying here in the bed with him made her think of that night at the CDC. He acted like he wanted her so badly then, but now he hardly touched her. She rolled over when he didn't say anything else and faced the wall.


	35. Chapter 35

When Layna woke up the next morning, she remembered everyone's reactions upon hearing her news the night before. She looked over and saw that Daryl was gone. She rolled over and pulled the covers up to her chin, prolonging getting up to face everyone. The sunlight poured out of the thin curtains that covered the window. Judging by how bright it was she figured it had to be pretty late already, possibly around lunchtime. Her stomach growled a little, reminding her of Hershel's words from the night before. She had nearly drifted back off to sleep when she heard the door creak open.

Layna sat up as Lori came into the room, a plastic bag from the pharmacy in her hand.

Lori sat down on the edge of the bed as she pulled a few pregnancy test boxes out of the bag, along with a bottle of prenatal vitamins.

"It's probably too soon to know for sure," Lori murmured. "You can take the tests whenever though."

"You went and got this?"

"No, Maggie and Glen went this morning and got them," she answered quickly.

Layna looked back at her sister. She seemed to have calmed down a little.

"Well when should I take one?" Layna asked.

Lori shrugged. "Hershel had a calendar and I think it's been a little over three weeks since all of this happened. So...judging on what you said, you would only be about two weeks or a little over that. So another week or two maybe should give you the real result."

Layna nodded at her sister and looked down at the boxes lying on the bed.

"I just can't believe you didn't tell us sooner, Layna."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't."

"But you told Daryl?"

"Yeah I did," Layna muttered.

"Why? You think he's going to take care of you now or something?"

"He cares about me," Layna snapped. "I care about him too."

"You're so naive," Lori muttered. "You of all people should know the world and all of its people aren't like they used to be."

* * *

Daryl threw the few squirrels he had killed over his shoulder as he stepped out of the woods. He laid the crossbow in the back of the truck and looked for a good place to skin the squirrels. He'd slipped out of the house while Layna was still asleep to clear his head. He kinda figured that they could use some fresh meat too and save the other food for emergencies. He was trying to decide if he was going to pursue this relationship with Layna. He felt stupid even thinking about it. She liked him and was amazing, pretty, and easy to get along with. If Merle hadn't turned her life even more upside down that it was already, he could only imagine what their relationship would be today. Before this he wouldn't be thinking about a relationship, maybe a random hookup here or there but no one he wanted to permanently spend the rest of his life with. He was pretty sure he could spend the rest of his life with this girl and never get tired of her company. It was him pushing her away, not the other way around. The same nagging question filled his mind every time he saw her now. What was he supposed to do when she had that baby? The only way he could think about it without gritting his teeth now was because she had said it was part of her too. He'd already come to the conclusion that it didn't know how lucky it was going to be to have her as a mother.

* * *

Layna finally headed down to the kitchen when she couldn't listen to her stomach growl any longer. She tried not to look anyone in the eye as she passed them. Maggie and Carol were in the kitchen, fixing sandwiches. They both looked up at her when she walked into the room.

"Come get one," Carol said softly as picked one up and handed it out to her.

Layna took it from her. "Thanks."

"If you need anything, just let me know," Carol offered. "I'm so sorry."

Layna bit down on the side of her cheek and tried to change the subject. "How's Sophia?"

"She's okay," Carol murmured. "Thanks to you."

"And Daryl."

"Yeah, and Daryl," Carol said as she looked back down at the sandwiches.

"Have you seen him lately?" Layna asked.

"He's right out there," Maggie said, pointing out the kitchen window. "Skinning squirrels."

Layna looked out the window. Sure enough he was sitting close to the woods, skinning them. "Thanks," she said as she headed out the door, ready to get away from the awkward situation in the kitchen. Luckily there was no one else in the living room when she passed through. She figured everyone must be outside. She took a few bites of her ham sandwich as she made her way across the yard toward Daryl. He looked up and made a face at her. "How the hell are you gonna help me if you're eatin a sandwich?"

"I'll be done in a minute. It don't take that long to eat it," she shot back.

He looked back down at the squirrel he was working on.

"Ya know," she said as she swallowed another bite. "You could have took me hunting so I wouldn't have to sit in that house with everybody."

"I didn't think that'd be a good idea," he said as he squinted up at her.

"I'm probably pregnant Daryl, not terminally ill," she muttered. "Though they both seem to suck about the same."

He kept quiet. He never took part in the conversation if it included her pregnancy.

"Do you have another knife?" Layna asked as she squatted beside him.

"I think there's another in the motorcycle bag, but you ain't gotta help."

"Funny how you say that now. You made me skin those fish all by myself," she muttered.

"Well I wanted to see if you were bluffin or not about skinnin a deer. I wanted to see how ya handled filleting fish. Not to many pretty girls actually do that kinda stuff."

Layna laughed. "You thought I was lying?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but at least I know now. Hell, you're eatin a damn sandwich while you're watchin me skin these."

"Blood and guts don't bother me, but you sure did."

"What?" he asked as he looked back up at her.

"You scared me to death when you made me skin those fish, looming over me like you were gonna kill me if I messed up. I didn't know you then though."

"Well nice to know ya thought I was out to kill ya," he grumbled.

"Then I realized you were actually nice to be around," she said with a smirk.

* * *

Daryl finished skinning the squirrels and sent them off to be cooked by some of the women for supper. Layna went off to take a shower and his plan was to stay outside until he had to go in to eat and sleep. Sleeping in Layna's bed had been a million times better than the truck.

"Daryl?"

He turned toward the sound of his name, realizing that it was Lori. He groaned when she began walking towards him.

"What you're doing is wrong," she blurted out.

"What the hell are you talkin about?"

"You leading Layna on."

"I'm not fuckin leadin her on," Daryl grumbled.

"I think in some far corner of her imagination she thinks that you're gonna be there for her no matter what. I know you've helped her out lately, but what about when she has your brother's baby? Then what? Huh?"

Daryl glared back at Lori.

"You're gonna leave her," she snapped.

"No I ain't," Daryl spat back.

"Are you just going to take it in as yours? I know you two are sleeping together.

"We're not actually sleepin together!" Daryl roared. "You think I'm just using her?"

"What else are you doing Daryl?"

"I care about her. A lot more than you do," Daryl muttered angrily, as he turned back away from her.

"How can you even say that?" Lori yelled.

"You just gotta be there for her. Not boss her the fuck around like you're doin now. You're only pushin her away from you and you're too stupid to realize it."

He turned back to look at Lori who stood frozen in place.

"I'm gonna be there for her no matter what," he muttered as he walked away and back toward his truck.

* * *

Layna took a shower and retreated back to her room until it was time to eat supper. Luckily, no one ventured up to her room. She hurried and fixed her plate of fried squirrel and green beans before everyone made it to the kitchen. She ran into Daryl as she was heading out. He always had the same idea.

"Where are you eating?" Layna asked.

"Probably outside."

Layna took her plate and a water bottle outside and sat on the porch. Daryl came out soon and sat beside her, leaning against the side of the house.

"Had a nice lil chat with yer sister," he muttered as he looked at her.

"About what?" Layna asked nervously.

"About the fact that I'm using you and leadin you on."

"What?" Layna gaped at him."Where the hell did she come up with that?"

Daryl shrugged. "Hell if I know."

"What'd you tell her?"

"That I wasn't."

"Lori's just upset," Layna muttered.

"I know, but I'm goin to be here for you, we might as well announce it to the whole damn group so they'll stop thinkin I'm like Merle."

"They'll realize it, Daryl," she said softly. "If they really didn't trust you they would be a lot more pissy about it."

"Maybe I'm a bad influence on ya. Pretty girls aren't supposed to cuss," he muttered playfully.

Layna went back to her room when after she got done eating. So far she'd done an exceptional job at avoiding everyone she could. Hershel did come in to talk to her though. He told her the importance of taking the vitamins in case she was pregnant and assured her that if she needed anything not to hesitate. When she asked him about the pregnancy tests he told her it would probably be best to wait a while. Getting a false positive or negative was only going to complicate matters more. He expressed his apologies and left the room. Everyone was only making her mood worse. They talked like she was having the devil himself and she was trying her best not to think of it that way. Layna brushed her hair with a brush from the dresser as she waited for Daryl to come to bed. She was beginning to feel confused. The news of her pregnancy put a major dent in how fast their relationship seemed to be progressing. She still wanted him as badly as he had wanted her that night at the CDC. Soon she would be blown up like a whale, and she knew he wouldn't want her then.

When Daryl finally came in, she leaned in and kissed him, placing her hands around his neck. She pressed her body against his, waiting for him to take charge like he did at the CDC. She needed him, a lot more now than she did then. He kissed her back as he put both of his hands on her hips.

"Daryl," she said softly when they broke apart.

"Humph?" he grunted as he looked back at her face only inches away from his.

"I love you, I'm ready to go all the way," she said as she pressed her mouth against his.

* * *

Daryl pulled his lips away from hers and let his hands drop down from her waist.

"What?" he asked.

Layna looked into his eyes with her dark blue ones. "I love you, I need you."

Daryl's mind whirred.

"Layna we don't have to do this," he said softly.

"But I want too," she whimpered as she leaned her face closer to his. "You don't?"

"No, I do," Daryl murmured. "I just don't want you to make a mistake."

He knew she had said she was a virgin before Merle had raped her. How would she react? She was practically still a virgin in his mind since she'd never done anything willingly. As much as he wanted her, she was just so good. He felt like he was corrupting her. He'd never done anything with a girl like her.

* * *

Layna stared back into his blue eyes, feeling the butterflies in her stomach. If he wanted her and she wanted him what was holding him back? She was scared and his hesitating behavior was making her more uneasy. Was she the one at fault? She trusted him and felt like she was ready to take the next step.

"Please?" she whimpered as she studied his face. "It's not a mistake."

"Layna, i just don't think this is a good idea."

"Why?" she stammered. "You act like you can't touch me now."

Daryl pressed his warm lips against hers desperately, making Layna's heart beat faster. She pushed her doubts in the back of her mind as his hands went back to her waist. She let her hands rest on his shoulders, squeezing them a little as he squeezed her waist, pulling her even closer to him.

"Lock the door," he said breathlessly as he pulled away from her. Layna turned around and locked the door with shaking hands. She took a deep breath before turning around.

Daryl was staring back at her intensely. His eyes looked even bluer than usual. She stepped closer to him and he slipped an arm around her waist, letting the palm of his hand press against the small of her back as he pulled her in for another kiss. Their bodies were so close she wondered if he could feel her heart beating out of her chest. She let him slowly push her backwards toward the bed. She tried to focus on him and not her nervousness when she felt the back of her legs touch the bed.

"Yer sure?" he asked, his voice sounding husky. "No regrets?"

"I'm sure," Layna said softly as she let her shaking hands drop down to the buttons on the front of his sleeveless flannel shirt. He leaned in and kissed her neck as she fumbled with the buttons. With his face nestled in the crook of her neck it was hard to focus on the simple task. She could feel his short scruffy beard as it brushed against her neck. When she finally got the last button undone, he let go of her to let the shirt slip off his shoulders. Layna pressed her hand against his toned chest and he didn't stop her when she touched his scars. She felt his hands grabbing the end of her t-shirt and she raised her arms, allowing him to pull the shirt over her head. He let the shirt fall to the floor and looked back at her. She could feel her breath catch in her throat as his eyes looked at her almost naked chest.

Layna took a deep breath as she sat on the edge of the bed, pulling herself to the middle of it and laying back against the pillows. He climbed onto the bed, carefully moving over her and straddling her with his knees. He propped himself up with his hands beside her head as he leaned in and kissed her again. She reached over and attempted to unbuckle his belt as he moved to the button on her shorts. He was successful in unbuttoning her jeans while she still fumbled with his belt buckle. He let go of her and unbuckled it quickly, rolling off of her to get his jeans off. Layna took the chance to pull her shorts down and off. She looked up at his face as he climbed back on top of her. She could tell he was going purposely slow, something she definitely needed. Layna kissed him and leaned up as he reached underneath her to unclasp her bra. She felt vulnerable and self conscious as she allowed him to pull it off and toss it to the floor. She stared up at his eyes as they wandered down her chest.

"You're beautiful," he said softly.

"I love you," Layna murmured as their blue eyes met again.

"I love you too."

It was the first time he'd said it and it sent her over the edge. He let his hands trail down her stomach and down to her waist, slipping his fingers under the waistband of her underwear as he slipped them off. Layna trembled with anticipation and nervousness as he slipped his own underwear off. She felt vulnerable and had to stare back up at his face, to remind her that it was just him as he climbed back on top of her. He kissed her a little harder as he gently parted her legs with his knees. She felt him hard against her as he grinded against her. Both of their breathing quickened as his lips trailed from her mouth to her neck.

He pulled away and looked back into her eyes. "You're positive?"

Layna nodded as she swallowed hard. She knew she loved him and this was something she wanted to do, even thought it scared her to death.

She bit down on her bottom lip as he entered her. She gasped and tried not to cry out loud. making him stop to look back at her.

"Just keep going," she said breathily.

She looked up at his face as he took his time slipping all the way inside her. She arched her back, attempting to become more comfortable. He leaned in and kissed her softly, letting her get accustomed to his size before moving. After a few slow, agonizing thrusts most of the pain subsided and she found herself clinging to him and moving along with his quickening rhythm. She bit her tongue, trying to stay quiet since they were in the bedroom right beside Lori, Rick, and Carl, but she could feel herself losing control.

"Daryl," she panted out loud. She couldn't help but dig her nails into his back as she wrapped her legs tight around his waist.

He groaned before he covered her mouth with his. Her moaned slipped into his mouth when she felt her body totally giving in.

"Oh God," she stammered as she arched her back as a wave of pure ecstasy washed over her. Her legs started shaking and she lost all control of her body, almost feeling like she would pass out.

"Dammnit," he grunted as she felt him lose control too. He propped himself up as he spilled into her, filling the soreness that was becoming evident.

Layna fell back against the pillow as she felt herself go limp. She'd never felt anything so intense or amazing in her life. She steadied her breathing as Daryl pulled out of her. Her body was still quivering when he laid down beside her.

Neither of them said anything for a few minutes.

"Damn Layna," Daryl finally broke the silence. She could feel a smile forming on her lips as she turned her head to face him.

"God, I love you."

He leaned over and kissed her gently.

"I love you too, Layna."

_Please review! This is the very first time i've written anything intimate so cut me some slack lol. _


	36. Chapter 36

_Author's Note: Sorry for the wait again! Please enjoy and review!_

Daryl looked over at Layna as she curled up in the sheet and rolled over to face him. He hoped that it was as good for her as it was for him. Sex was definitely different when you really cared about someone.

"So that was okay for you right?" Layna asked as her eyes locked on his.

"Was it alright fer you?" he asked uncertainly.

"I asked you first," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, it..I mean it was more than alright."

"Good," she said as she scooted closer to him and propped up on her elbow.

"But how was it fer you?" he pressed again.

"It was amazing. You're amazing," she said softly. "I really do love you."

Daryl stared back into Layna's blue eyes. She looked beautiful with her now messy brown hair falling over her shoulders. How could he have gotten so lucky?

"I love you too," He was surprised how easily the words rolled off his tongue. He'd never been one to profess love casually. He couldn't think of any other girl he'd felt like this about.

"I think we're going to be alright," Layna said, breaking his thoughts. "Whatever happens, we'll be there for each other. We've been through so much already."

He slipped under the sheet and rolled onto his side to face her.

"I reckon I lied to yer sister."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I told her we weren't sleepin together."

She laughed. "Well you don't have to tell her any different."

"What changed yer mind all of a sudden?"

"You did," she said with a smirk. "And we won't know what tomorrow will bring, might as well live while we can, ya know?"

He laid back and looked up at the ceiling. She had a point but he didn't much like what she seemed to be implying. Nothing was going to happen to her. Not while he was around.

Layna laid her head on his chest and curled up close to him. He could feel her smooth legs as they rubbed against his and the sweet, intoxicating scent of her hair invaded his nose.

* * *

When Layna woke up, she was still cuddled against Daryl. She shut her eyes quickly when she realized he was awake, letting herself just enjoy the memories of last night. He must not have seen her open her eyes because he didn't move. She couldn't believe he was still in bed. Usually she woke up by herself, because he had gone hunting or something. She could feel every time his chest rose and fell with a breath. Everything just felt right when they were together.

The next week went by without many problems. There was still an awkward feeling in the air when people were around her but it was beginning to settle down. She was still taking the vitamins but hadn't attempted a pregnancy test yet. Lori and Shane had finally stopped nagging her about every little thing, although they expressed their concern on a regular basis of her and Daryl's growing relationship. They just didn't know exactly how serious the two of them had become. Layna spent most of the day with Daryl, helping around the farm and doing odd chores. She had already began to notice that Hershel was distancing himself from the group. Carl was getting well at a surprising rate, and she wondered if he was wanting them to leave when he was totally well. She knew that had been the plan at first but she didn't want to leave now. Her and Daryl's relationship wasn't the only one growing. She knew she wasn't the only one who had noticed Glen and Maggie becoming more and more involved with each other.

"Look at em," Daryl's voice broke her thoughts.

Layna looked toward the chicken coop where Glen and Maggie were kissing.

"And what's wrong with that?" she asked playfully as she looked over at him.

He shrugged and she leaned her back against the tree beside him. They spent a lot of time together under the large oak close by the cow pasture. It felt nice to be able to sit and enjoy the fresh air without having to constantly watch for walkers. The farm felt like their very own sanctuary.

"Ya know, we could go pick up some condoms from the pharmacy," he said casually.

Layna smirked back at him. They hadn't had sex anymore because she was still worried. If by some miracle she wasn't pregnant, then she sure didn't want to get pregnant, and she had told him exactly that.

"I guess we could," she answered.

"When do ya think you'll know for sure if you're pregnant or not?"

She shrugged. She hadn't seen or felt any changes that would point to pregnancy, not that she knew what to look for. It wasn't unusual for her period to skip months at a time so she felt totally in the dark.

"Maybe I should go ahead and take one of the tests," she suggested.

"But you said Hershel said you could get a false positive or negative right?" he asked

She nodded.

"Well shit," he muttered. "This is the worst fuckin waiting game ever."

"Ah look who's coming," Layna said softly as she pointing toward the farmhouse.

Sophia was walking toward them, looking at her feet as she walked.

* * *

Daryl looked at Sophia making her way over to them. Ever since they'd brought her back from Atlanta with them, Sophia acted like Layna's shadow.

"Hey guys," the little girl said as she plopped down in front of them in the shady grass.

"What's up Sophia?" Layna asked.

"Well, your sister told me that you can braid hair, can you braid mine?"

Daryl looked back over at Layna as she nodded. Sophia scooted herself in front of Layna and handed her a ponytail. Layna went right to work, running her fingers through the little girl's blond hair. She bit down on her bottom lip as she slowly braided it, as if she was trying to get it just perfect.

It made Daryl feel funny seeing Layna interact with Carl and especially Sophia. He couldn't help himself from thinking that she might soon have her own kid to have to watch and play with. Layna never turned the young girl away. She tried to help her with anything she needed.

"How's that?" Layna asked as she turned back to him.

"Looks fine to me," he answered quickly.

Sophia jumped up. "Thanks! Oh my mom wanted me to tell you both that supper is about ready." She touched the braid in her hair.

"Alright, Next time I'll teach you how to braid," Layna said with a smile.

"Today?" Sophia asked hopefully.

"Uh," Layna pulled her own hair around her shoulder. "Maybe later."

Daryl watched Sophia skip back towards the house.

"Let's go eat," Daryl suggested, as he climbed to his feet.

"I'm not really hungry," Layna complained.

"You know if you don't come, they're all gonna force feed ya right?"

"Ugh," Layna groaned as she climbed to her feet. "They're gonna make me eat until I look pregnant, even if I'm not."

* * *

Layna decided to eat inside for the first time in a while and talked Daryl into doing it too. She sat beside Glen with Daryl on her other side. Everyone was quiet as they ate their spaghetti. Daryl kept giving her a look that said he would rather be eating outside, but Layna wanted to know if Hershel was saying anything about them staying on the farm. Layna caught a glimpse of Glen pulling something out from under the table, and realized it was a note from Maggie. She tried to hide the faint smile on her face as she dabbed her face with a napkin. Glen was anything but discreet.

"So how are you feeling, Layna?" Hershel asked, tearing her attention away from Glen.

"I'm okay," she answered quickly. Everyone turned their attention to her so she left it at that.

She rolled the meatballs around in her bowl. She didn't have much of an appetite and the sudden turn of the conversation onto her didn't help it any.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" Sophia asked innocently from her seat beside Carol.

Layna looked up and Carol shook her head at her daughter.

"No, uh..I'm not sick," Layna said softly. She could feel everyone's eyes on her as she stared back down at her bowl. She took a deep breath and excused herself, sitting her bowl by the sink in the kitchen. Daryl met her on the way out.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. I'm gonna go lay down," she said as she slipped passed him and to their bedroom. She shut the door and changed into a big t-shirt she had swiped from Daryl, before she climbed into the bed. She could see from the window that it wasn't totally dark yet, but she knew she'd rather lay in here alone rather than sit in with everyone else.

* * *

Daryl didn't want to intrude if Layna wanted to be left alone so he waited a while before going in the bedroom. He retreated to a chair in the corner of the living room and was more than surprised when he saw Lori coming his way. She sat on the couch closest to his chair and leaned in close.

"How is she Daryl? She won't talk to me at all."

"She's alright," he grumbled. "She's just worried I reckon."

Lori let out a deep breath. "I'm worried about her." She leaned in closer as she lowered her voice. "I think Hershel wants us gone and he's just too scared to kick us out in case she's pregnant."

Daryl stared back at Lori. "That makes sense."

"Tell her she can talk to me, please?" Lori pleaded.

Daryl nodded and Lori got up when Rick walked into the room. He finally decided to go check on her.

He slowly opened the door, peaking his head in to see if she was asleep, but she wasn't. She propped herself up on the pillows when he walked in.

"You sure you're alright?" he asked as he shut the door behind him. She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just didn't wanna be around all of them, knowing they all feel sorry for me."

She scooted close to the wall, allowing him room on the bed as he sat down. He leaned over and kissed her softly. When he pulled away she reached up and pulled him back to her.

"Is everyone asleep?" she asked quickly before pressing her lips against his once again.

He pulled away. "I think most everyone was headed to bed. I thought you wanted to wait to make sure though…"

"It doesn't matter," she interrupted as she tugged at his shirt.

He leaned down and kissed her again. He wasn't going to argue with her.

A sudden knock at the door made them pull away from each other.

"Daryl? Layna?" Glen's low voice came from outside the door.

Daryl climbed off the bed and threw open the door.

"What the hell do you want?'

* * *

Layna climbed out of bed when Daryl opened the door. She could see Glen standing nervously.

"Can I come in?" he asked as he looked around.

Daryl glared back at him before he sidestepped to allow him to step in.

"What's goin on Glen?" Layna asked as she straightened the large t-shirt, making sure she was fully covered.

"Guys..I don't even know if I should say anything, but uh..there's walkers in the barn. You can't tell anybody I just had to somebody. Nobody else was up," Glen blurted out quickly.

"What the hell?" Daryl muttered. "Walkers?"

"Yeah, but you can't say anything. I promised Maggie I wouldn't say anything. Hershel is keeping them in there. There's a chain on the door and everything."

Layna stared back at Glen and Daryl. "Why?" she stammered.

"Some of them are their family."

"Oh my God, what if they get out?" Layna asked worriedly.

"Show me," Daryl growled as he reached down and grabbed his boots.

"I can't," Glen said quickly. "It'll look suspicious of I go back out there, especially if I bring a crowd to the barn. What if Hershel kicks us out?"

Daryl stopped. "Well it ain't safe to keep em in there."

"I don't think they'll get out," Glen assured him. "Not tonight at least. It's chained shut."

"Let's just go look in the morning," Layna said as she reached out for Daryl. "Don't go out there tonight."

Glen nodded. "Yeah, don't go tonight. I gotta get out of here before Maggie hears me."

Glen darted back out of the room leaving Daryl staring back at her. Layna walked over and shut the door back before climbing back into bed.

"Is Hershel crazy?" she asked. "Keeping walkers in the freakin barn?"

"Looks like it ain't as safe as we thought here," Daryl muttered.

When Layna opened her eyes, she could see the faint light through the curtains. Daryl was still laying asleep beside her so she knew it had to be really early in the morning. She rolled back over, not even sure what had woke her up in the first place. Just as she closed her eyes, she felt it. She covered her mouth and leapt off the bed. The only thing she could think of was getting to the bathroom across the hall quietly without throwing up all over the floor. She threw open the bedroom door and darted across the hall.

* * *

Daryl woke up when heard a door shut and noticed Layna wasn't there. He climbed out of bed and slipped out of their open bedroom door, Glen's news still fresh in his mind. He saw the light on underneath the bathroom door and was about to go back to their room when he heard her gagging. He leaned against the door and heard the toilet flush.

"Layna? Are you alright?" he asked softly.

He immediately heard the lock and the door opened. Layna sank to the floor against the wall as she wiped her mouth. Her eyes were watery and she looked pale.

"Can you hand me a wet rag?" she asked weakly as she pointed to the cabinet.

He hurriedly wet a rag and handed it to her. She pressed it against her mouth. "Guess this is it," she muttered sadly. "One of them signs we've been waiting for."

He looked down at her as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall.

"Can you hand me one of those boxes out form under the bed?"

He nodded at her and turned back to their room. His heart raced as he pulled back the bed skirt and grabbed a pregnancy test box. As soon as he stood back up he heard her gagging again.


	37. Chapter 37

Author's Note: I'm extremely appreciative for all of the continuing reviews! I start Senior year of highschool Monday so i'm not sure how fast i will be updating afer that. I will have to see how hectic my schedule is. Summer just goes by entirely too fast! I just wanted to give everyone a heads up while i remembered to mention it. Enjoy and Review!

Layna took the box out of his hands and sat back against the wall as she opened it.

"I don't even know what I'm doing," she muttered sadly as she pulled out the instructions.

Daryl propped himself on the counter as he watched her read over it with shaking hands.

"Do ya want me to go get yer sister? She was telling me last night how she wanted to help you."

"No," Layna murmured as she stood back up. "I can do this by myself." She motioned to the door and Daryl stepped out. He leaned against the wall and began chewing on a fingernail as she shut the door. He had a feeling they both knew what the answer would be already. Her getting sick after being told by Jenner was too big of a coincidence. He nearly jumped when the bathroom door opened again and Layna stuck her head out.

"Do you have a watch or anything?"

"No," he muttered as he looked down at his wrist.

"Well I need something."

"Can't you just guess?" he suggested.

She frowned back at him.

"I'll go look fer somethin," he muttered as he turned back down the hallway.

"I think there was a cooking timer in the kitchen," she softly called after him. He crept down the hallway, trying not to wake anyone up. The cooking timer was beside the stove so he swooped in and snatched it up quickly. Just as he turned to leave, the kitchen door opened and Hershel stepped back inside the house.

"Daryl? You're up mighty early."

Daryl gritted his teeth as he turned back around and shoved the timer in his pocket.

"Uh yeah," he muttered back. He bit his tongue so that he wouldn't say anything about what Glen had told him. Layna's issue was more important at the moment.

"Everything alright?" Hershel asked as he stepped closer.

Daryl shrugged. "Yeah I guess."

"She taking one of those tests?"

Daryl nodded slowly. "How'd ya know?'

"Figured that was why you would need that timer," Hershel said softly as he sat down at the kitchen table.

"She was sick this morning," Daryl muttered.

"I was afraid that might start soon."

Daryl nodded and continued out of the kitchen and down the hall. He was having a hard time looking Hershel in the eye now that he knew the man was putting them all in danger by keeping walkers in the barn. When he made it back to the bathroom Layna was sitting back on the floor. She had her face in her hands.

"Here," he handed the timer out to her when she looked up.

"Oh my God, I feel like crap," she groaned as she took it.

* * *

Layna stepped away from the counter as she turned the timer to three minutes and laid it beside the test strip on the counter. She tossed the First Response box in the trash and leaned back against the wall. Now that she didn't feel as nauseous, she had a splitting headache instead. She tore her eyes away from the test strip and looked at her reflection in the small mirror. She had a feeling she already knew the result without having to look. When the timer clicked, she let her eyes slowly drift back to the test strip. There were two pink lines. Exactly what she expected but was hoping wouldn't be there. She took a shaky breath and let it out. This was it. She was pregnant with Merle's baby. Although she'd know for a few weeks that she probably was, seeing the result right in front of her along with her sudden morning symptoms hit her hard. She let herself sink back to the floor as she choked back a sob.

"Unlock the door, Layna," Daryl ordered suddenly as he jiggled the doorknob.

Layna looked back at the door but didn't attempt to move. She felt numb. It just wasn't fair. When the doorknob finally quit jiggling she let a few of the tears brimming in her eyes slip down her cheeks.

"Layna!" Lori's voice from outside the door made her freeze.

"Open the door please."

Layna wiped her eyes and reached over to unlock the door.

* * *

Daryl breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Layna unlocking the door. He already knew the results just by hearing her break down. He had been relieved when Lori stepped out of her room, and wasted no time in telling her what was going on.

Lori darted into the bathroom and sank to the floor beside Layna. Daryl stepped in slowly, glancing at the test strip on the counter before he let his eyes fall on Layna.

"It's okay, Layna. Everything is going to be alright," Lori said as she tried to keep her own voice steady.

He felt helpless as Lori hugged Layna who was still crying on the floor.

"It's just not fair," Layna whimpered.

Daryl turned and left the bathroom when he couldn't take it anymore. He pushed passed Hershel and Rick who were on their way down the hall and went through the kitchen door. He could feel the anger practically bubbling inside of him. He kicked a pile of old firewood stacked by the house and stomped in the direction of the barn to see the walkers for himself.

* * *

Layna let Rick and Lori pull her up from the bathroom floor and to the bedroom. She couldn't hold back the sobs any longer. She laid down on the bed and curled onto her side.

"It's just a baby, Layna," Lori said softly as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Just think of it as a beautiful baby."

"I know it's a baby, Lori," Layna snapped back.

"Babies are a gift from God," Hershel added. "This baby was put here for a reason."

"A gift from God?" Rick mocked. "That makes no sense right now."

"I understand guys," Layna muttered angrily. "It's just not fair. I didn't want a baby."

"We're going to get through this," Lori assured her again.

Rick turned his attention back to Hershel. "Can we talk to you outside?"

Hershel walked out of the room with Rick on his heels.

"I'll be right back," Lori said softly as she stood up and followed them out. They shut the door but Layna could still hear their low voices.

"Okay, say the baby is born. Then what? We can't possibly expect her to take care of it?" Rick's voice came from outside the room. "Not after what that bastard did to her."

"She may feel differently after it's born," Hershel argued.

"It's still not a world for a baby," Lori added in. "It's barely a world for us anymore, let alone a baby."

"If you two are hinting that I perform something on her to get rid of the baby, you both are out of luck," Hershel said sharply.

Layna rolled over and tried to block out their conversation. She knew it was a baby and it wasn't just Merle's. It was hers too. It deserved a chance as much as anybody. She was just having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that she would have to have a baby now, especially since she had no say in it.

* * *

Daryl pulled on the door of the barn letting it pull against the chains just enough to see through. He leaned in as a few fingers slipped through the crack.

"Shit!" he yelled as he stumbled back. A few groans erupted form behind the doors as they buckled under the pressure of the walkers pressing against them. He looked back at the chain holding the doors closed. It looked like it would hold, but it didn't make it right. How had no one noticed this before? He let his eyes drift back to the house. Rick was talking to Shane by the front porch, probably telling Layna's bad news, he figured. He wasn't sure if he should tell Rick and Shane about the walkers. He felt torn. They were already having to deal with Layna's problem. He thought back to her. He'd left her all alone after finding out she was pregnant for sure.

He took another glance at the chained barn doors before heading back toward the house.

He opened the bedroom door slowly and peeked his head in. Layna lifted her head up and then laid it back down when she saw it was him. He crawled into the bed and propped up beside her on the pillows. She wiped her eyes and rolled over to face him.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, unsure of what else to say.

She shrugged back at him and scooted closer to him.

"I'm gonna be here fer you, no matter what," Daryl murmured. He looked into her teary eyes as she looked back up at him. She laid her head against his chest and placed her hand in his. He sat quietly, just letting her lay against him for what seemed like hours, not sure of anything else to do for her other than just be there.

Layna finally lifted her head off him when the door opened. Sophia peeked her head in before bending down and picking up a tray she had laid on the floor. She continued in and laid the tray of toast and eggs at the foot of the bed.

"My mom wanted me to see if you were both hungry," the girl said softly as she eyed them.

"I don't want it, I'm sorry," Layna murmured as she sat up. "Can you just take it back?"

Sophia nodded and reached back for the plate. "Can I feel?"

"What?" Layna choked out.

"Your stomach. Can I feel?"

Daryl glared back at her.

"No," Layna said quickly. "I mean….you won't feel anything yet."

"What are you going to name it?" Sophia asked

"Sophia!" Daryl growled. "It's a little early fer that. Why don't you just take the food back to yer mom."

Sophia quickly picked the tray back up. "I'm sorry," she apologized as she left the room.

* * *

Layna propped herself on the pillows beside Daryl. "Don't yell at her," she murmured. "It's not her fault."

Daryl grunted.

"I can't just not talk about, it's here whether we like it or not," she said as she looked back over at him. "It's just the weirdest feeling ever. One minute I'm just so mad and then I feel bad because it's not the baby's fault... I wish it was yours," she added as she studied his face. "If it was I think we'd both feel differently."

He stared back at her, making her wish she hadn't said anything so bold.

"It doesn't matter that it isn't mine," he said softly. "It's yours so…it just doesn't matter."

"But if it was yours Daryl, it would have a real Dad. Someone who really loved it." She felt the familiar lump in her throat and swallowed it back. "I'm just not ready for this," she stammered as she looked away from him.

"Layna listen to me," he said sharply. "It'll have a Dad. I told you I was gonna be there fer you. Fer both of you."

Layna wiped a tear off her cheek. "I don't want you doing this out of guilt or feeling like you're just obligated. That would only make things a million times worse."

He reached over and turned her face back to his. "I'm not just doin it out of guilt. I'm doin it because I love you and ever since you said that this baby was part of you too I can't quit thinking about it like that."

Layna stared back into his eyes as her tears blurred her vision.

"Just fuckin forget the fact that it's Merle's. That doesn't even matter because it's gonna be perfect just like you are." He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers as soon as he finished.

"I love you too," she whispered through her tears when they he pulled away.


	38. Chapter 38

_Author's Note: I'm so incredibly sorry for the whole week wait. I know how aggravating it is to wait for an update! The first week of school is always hectic. I can't promise an update everyday but I'll be doing it as soon as I can. Please keep reviewing and let me know what you think! Here's two chapters. Oh and i might've added a little extra smutty scene in the next chapter because i feel bad for the wait. Haha._

Layna finally let Daryl coax her out of the bedroom. She threw on a pair of jeans and kept Daryl's old t-shirt on, feeling like she had a right to look as miserable as she felt. Lori, Carol, and Patricia stopped their conversation in the kitchen as soon as they saw her.

"Are you hungry?" Lori asked softly.

Layna could feel her stomach turn at just the mention of food.

"No, I'm just thirsty," she muttered as she tried to shake the nauseous feeling away.

Before she could even make a move for the cabinet, Lori was up and fixing her a glass of water.

"I'll be outside alright?" Daryl whispered as he leaned in close to her. Layna nodded and he headed for the door. She took the glass from Lori and took a sip.

"Come sit?" Lori asked as she motioned back to the kitchen table where Carol and Patricia were seated. Against her better judgment, she took a seat as she took another sip of her water.

"You need to eat, Layna," Lori said softly.

"Well I don't wanna throw up again."

"You'll probably be doin that regardless," Patricia added. "You just have to make sure you and the baby are both getting enough."

Layna looked back down at her glass as she rubbed her fingers on the condensation that had already begun to form.

"So what did everyone else have to say about my unfortunate situation?" She asked as she looked up. "Guess I'm the talk of the group today aren't it?"

"It doesn't matter," Carol murmured. "Just know that we're all here to help in any way we can."

"Someone already told Sophia?" Layna asked as she remembered Sophia's sudden questions.

"She overheard," Carol explained. "So we just told her you were going to have a baby."

Layna turned when she suddenly heard the front door fly open.

"Patricia!" Maggie screamed.

Layna rushed to the door, following close behind Patricia, Lori, and Carol.

"They're trying to break into the barn! They're going to kill all of them!" Maggie burst into tears as soon as she saw Patricia.

"What are you talking about?" Lori shrieked as Patricia and Maggie ran out of the door.

Layna reached out and grabbed Lori before she could follow. "There's walkers in the barn. Glen found them first and told me and Daryl," she explained quickly.

"What are you talking about?" Carol stammered.

"They were keeping some family members that got bit in the barn."

Lori's mouth fell open and she darted for the door. Layna quickly followed her. She felt her blood run cold when she saw the barn. Shane was yelling and screaming as he slung the bag of guns around. As she came closer she realized that Hershel and Rick had walkers on catchpoles. Hershel, Maggie, Beth, Rick and Patricia begged him to stop while everyone else stood by, unsure of what to do. Layna stopped beside Daryl as he took a gun from Shane.

"Stand back, Layna," Daryl said protectively as she touched his arm. She swallowed hard as Hershel begged Shane to stop.

"You can't open those doors!" Lori shrieked as she pulled Carl close.

Shane turned back to the walker Hershel had contained with the catch pole and fired at it. Layna cringed as everyone screamed.

"Could a person sustain that?" Shane bellowed as he fired a few more times before shooting it in the head. "They aren't sick!"

The look on Hershel's face as the walker fell to the ground was heartbreaking.

"Shane you've lost your freakin mind!" Layna screamed as she stepped forward.

"It's too dangerous to leave walkers here," Daryl raised his voice at her as he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Well he doesn't have to do it like this!" she yelled back.

When Layna turned back to the barn, Shane had broken the lock and was stepping away from the doors.

She let Daryl pull her behind him as the doors slowly opened. He threw up his gun and so did Glen, Andrea, Shane, and T-dog.

She helplessly watched as the doors creaked open and walkers began stumbling out. They were taken out quickly by the firing squad like position everyone had taken. She glanced back at Hershel who stood numbly as body after body fell to the ground. When she heard the gunshots finally stop, she looked back at the mess of bodies that littered the ground. Her eyes wandered back to the open doors and searched the darkness when a soft rustling started. She knew who it was as soon as she saw the blonde hair. She immediately remembered the attack at the camp and Amy getting attacked. She remembered when they went back to the campsite and she wasn't there.

"Amy!" She heard Andrea cry out as she dropped the gun she'd been holding and stepped closer to her. Dale grabbed her, keeping her from running to her sister. Layna stood numbly as everyone looked at Amy now lumbering closer to them. Daryl raised his gun but stopped when he saw that Rick had raised his pistol and was stepping forward.

"I want you all off the farm now!" Hershel screamed as his daughters clung to him.

"How did Amy get in there?" Carol cried as she held Sophia close. "Otis put them in there! He must have put her in there before he died!" Maggie yelled back at her. Layna looked over at Andrea who was now crying on the ground again.

Rick and Shane screamed at each other as everyone watched, still astonished at what they had just witnessed.

"What the hell just happened?" Layna stammered as Daryl pulled her away from the mess of bodies that now littered the yard.

"Now we're goin to have to leave!"

"Why don't ya just go inside? You don't need to be out here," Daryl said loudly as he pulled her toward the house.

"Why didn't you stop him Daryl? You knew it was wrong! Did you see Hershel's face?"

Daryl slammed the door behind them as he dragged her into the house.

"Oh you don't think it was wrong keepin walkers in the damn barn in the first place?" He growled.

"Yes but it could have been handled differently Daryl!"

"How?" he snapped.

"I don't know," she stammered. "But now we're going to have to leave and it's dangerous out there," she stopped when she felt tears in her eyes.

"If we have to leave, we'll leave," Daryl said plainly. "We've survived this long."

"Well it sure as hell isn't goin to be the same when I look like a hippo or have a screaming baby. If I or any of us even live that long out there," she added coldly.

Daryl stared back at her, his expression frozen. She let her eyes drift away from him and to the window. She saw Hershel, Patricia, Beth, and Maggie making their way to the house while Rick was trying to talk to them.

Daryl grabbed her arm. "C'mon you don't even need to be fuckin worrying about this," he grumbled as he dragged her down the hallway. Layna let him pull her to their bedroom and stepped in. Instead of following her in Daryl slammed the door shut behind her. Layna whirled around.

"What the hell are you doin? You think I'm just gonna stay in here?" She reached out and jerked the door back open.

"Well I was hoping you would," he muttered as she met him face to face.

She glared back at him. "Daryl you're just as crazy as Shane if you think I'm going to sit in here by myself while all of this is going on."

* * *

Daryl bit down on his bottom lip as Layna stared him down in the doorway.

"Well fine," he spat as he pushed passed her into the room. He reached over and slammed the door back. "Sit in here with me then. I don't know why you have to be so fuckin stubborn."

"Oh I'm stubborn?" Layna snapped. "When did you turn into Mr. easygoing?"

"Just calm down," Daryl muttered. "Good Lord. Everythin is going to be alright."

He stared back at her as she gritted her teeth. She'd never gotten this angry at him before. If it wasn't for the serious situation he knew he would probably be laughing at her.

"What good are we doing sitting in here?" she asked desperately as her eyes glanced back at the door. "We should be out there begging Hershel to let us stay."

"If anybody can do it, I'm sure Rick can," he muttered. "Hershel trusts him."

She rolled her eyes at him.

"You don't need to be stressin over this. It ain't good for you," he said as he looked back at her now flushed cheeks.

"How can I not stress? Hershel thinks you and everybody else just murdered his family members. He thought they were sick!" she said desperately.

Daryl let his eyes fall on her lips as they formed into a frown He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, surprising her as he pulled her closer to him. She pulled away from him immediately.

"What the hell are you doin?" she snapped angrily. "You're just trying to get my mind off of all of this."

"Is it workin?" he whispered as he leaned in close to her again.

"No it isn't," she said sharply as she whirled away from him and reached for the door.

"Layna just wait," Daryl groaned as he reached out to her. "I know you're scared, but everything is going to be alright. Don't you fuckin trust me? I said I was going to take care of you. Even if we get kicked outta here, we'll find somewhere safe to stay."

Layna turned back to face him. "I do trust you but.."

"Well good. Because you ain't getting outta here until everybody is calmed down," he cut her off as he put his hand on the door.

"You aren't just gonna make me sit in here," she muttered angrily. "You're only stressing me out more by making me sit in here."

"Well go!" Daryl yelled as he slung the door back open. "Go beg Hershel to let you stay!"

"Fine I will!" Layna snapped as she glared at him before stepping into the hallway.

* * *

Layna sat down on the porch steps. She could see Daryl off by the edge of the woods. She was so mad she could barely see straight. First the shootout at the barn happened, Daryl was being unreasonable, then everyone argued until Hershel slipped away unnoticed. Rick and Glen left to try and find him after Beth passed out and Lori had slipped away to go find them without even telling her. And all of that had happened on top of her horrible start to the morning.

Layna turned when she heard the door open. Dale quietly walked out and sat beside her on the steps. She glanced back over at him as he took his hat off and sat it on his knee.

"How are you Layna?"

She shrugged back at him. "I don't even know."

"Everything is going to be okay. I'm sure they'll bring Hershel back soon and we'll all work something out," he said hopefully.

"Are you and Daryl fighting?" he asked as he stared back at her.

Layna looked back out at Daryl, who was still piddling with something by the woods. She knew Dale was only trying to be helpful but he sometimes came across as nosey.

"He's mad at me I guess."

"He'll get over it. There's no reason to stay mad at anyone very long anymore," Dale said softly. "Especially you."

"How's Andrea?" Layna asked, trying her best to change the subject.

"She's mourning, but she's strong. She'll pull through this."

Layna nodded back at him.

"You'll pull through this too, Layna."

She let out a sarcastic laugh. "Yeah well I don't know about that. Especially if we have to leave here."

She looked back over at Dale who was staring back out into the fields.

"You know, Something is going on with Shane," he whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Layna asked. "He's just stressed. Everyone is."

"No, he..I mean I'm scared he might hurt someone."

Layna stared back at Dale in disbelief.

"Shane? He'll hurt a walker but not a person. He wouldn't do that."

"He killed Otis, Layna."

"What are you talking about?" Layna sputtered.

"Shh, I'm serious. I'm scared whoever else crosses his path will be next. You saw him today."

"No, he wouldn't-" Layna stopped when she heard the door behind them open.

"I'm goin to get your sister," Shane growled as he let the screen door slam behind him. "Ain't no way she needs to be out there."

"Good," Layna muttered. "Nobody would let me try and find her."

He stomped off the porch and jumped in his Hyundai. He sped out of the driveway, kicking up dust as he went. She let her eyes trail back to where Daryl was watching Shane's car speed down the long driveway.

"He has been jumping down Rick's throat every chance he gets. Have you noticed that?" Dale asked.

Layna thought back. She honestly hadn't noticed but that could have been because she'd been spending all of her time with Daryl and dealing with her on problems. She could hardly think about anything else because thoughts about the baby constantly clouded her mind.

"Haven't noticed," she mumbled back.

"Just watch him and you'll notice," Dale murmured as he stood back up. "Do me a favor and go make up with Daryl. He's much more pleasant when you're around him. You're good for him," he added with a smile.


	39. Chapter 39

Daryl grabbed a cigarette out of his last pack and slammed his truck door shut. He wondered if they would soon be on the road again. Everything had turned into complete chaos in a day. He lit the cigarette and leaned against the truck, looking out toward the woods as he took a puff. He heard faint footsteps crunching on the gravel behind him and turned to see Layna walking over.

"I'm guessin the talk with Hershel didn't go so great?" he muttered as she looked up.

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"Well he left," he grunted.

"Not because of me," she snapped as she walked around the truck. He watched her scrunch her nose up as she looked back at him.

"Oh God," she muttered as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"What the hell?"

"That smoke," she said quickly. "I think I'm gonna be sick." She quickly covered her nose.

"It's just a fuckin cigarette, Layna."

"I know but..It smells different now."

He angrily tossed the cigarette on the ground and stomped it out.

"What's it got to do with that baby still makin you sick or somethin?" he asked.

"I don't know," she snapped. "I don't even know why I came over here. You're acting like an asshole and I was going to apologize even though I don't know why."

Daryl glared back at Layna who let her hands rest on her hips.

"You ain't gotta apologize," he grumbled as he turned at the sound of a vehicle in the driveway.

"Shane's back already," Layna murmured as she turned her attention back to him. "Listen. I'm goin in the house before I throw up. I'm not made at you okay? There's no sense in this crap."

She stared back at him for a minute before turning back to the house.

Daryl stood in the darkness, by the porch uselessly as Hershel, Rick, and Glen explained what had happened at the bar and carried the hurt kid into the house. His leg was bloody and he wasn't even awake, but there was a blindfold over his eyes. Daryl agreed with Shane as he complained that this was a risky decision. He couldn't understand why they would go out of their way to help someone who would have killed them if he had the chance. After Hershel took the kid into the room Carl had recovered in, everyone congregated in the living room. He stood back against the wall as Shane argued with Rick. Layna sat beside her sister on the couch. Lori was scratched up from her wreck and walker attack Shane had saved her from. He couldn't believe she'd gone out and done something that stupid.

"His group left him for dead! He's just a kid anyway." Rick raised his voice. "We'll just send him away after Hershel fixes him up."

"How old is he?" Layna asked.

"I don't know, twenty or so maybe," Glen answered her.

"Everybody just don't talk to him," Rick continued. "We don't want him knowing where we're at. The less people he sees the better. We'll send him off as soon as he's well enough."

Daryl studied Layna's troubled expression. He was beginning to feel guilty. With all of this going on already, she didn't need to worry about him being mad at her. Although he wasn't really. Everyone seemed at least a little relieved that Hershel had forgotten his threat of kicking them out. The hurt kid seemed to be the newest worry. When everyone started leaving the living room, he followed Layna down the hall unnoticed. She stepped into their bedroom and jumped when she saw him.

"God, don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," he said as he raised his hands up. "Didn't mean to scare ya."

She grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt off the dresser and turned back to face him. "Would you have done it?" she asked.

"Done what?"

"Saved that boy."

"Hell naw, not if his group was shootin at me. I woulda left him out there on that fence."

"Well I guess that's understandable," she said softly. "I just hope this doesn't cause any more problems."

She looked back down at the floor.

"Ya know I ain't mad at you right?" Daryl finally asked. "Just because we have one stupid argument don't mean nothin."

"Okay, Good," she replied quietly.

He felt awkward talking to her from such a distance so he walked closer to her, noticing the faint dark circles around her eyes.

"Are you still sick?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, I'm not right now. I'm going to take a shower."

He felt a little disappointed as she brushed passed him. He was pretty sure she just didn't want to talk to him.

"Do you even want me to sleep in here tonight?" he asked, trying to hide the aggravation in his voice.

She whirled back around. "Of course I do."

He narrowed his eyes at her as she glared back at him.

"I just said I was taking a shower, what's so wrong with that?"

"Nothin," he muttered. "You just seem pissed."

"I'm not," she murmured back. "I'm just tired and stressed…about everything."

He softened his gaze as she rubbed her tired eyes. "I told you I wasn't mad at you, Daryl."

She stared back at him for a minute before she stepped closer to him. She pressed her lips against his gently and then pulled back away.

"C'mon," she said softly as she slipped her hand into his. He paused for a minute before he let her gently pull him toward the hall and into the bathroom.

He felt his heart skip a beat when she let go of his hand and sat down on the edge of the tub while she turned on the water. She held her hand under it until she seemed satisfied and then turned on the shower, pulling the plastic shower curtain closed.

He watched her glide back over to him with that innocent look she always seemed to have.

"Maybe we could try something a little different this time," she whispered as she leaned her face close to his. He leaned closer to her to press his lips against hers but she pulled back teasingly. "Wait just a minute. Will it make up for me being so unbelievably immature earlier?"

Daryl pulled her to him, hoping his actions would substitute for the words he didn't have time to say. The only thing he could think about was getting her under the warm, cascading water of the shower. Whenever she pressed her body against his, she clouded his mind, making him forget about everything else. He let his hands run down her stomach and fall on her hips as he pushed her a little quicker toward the tub. She let him take charge, like she always did. Her body melted into his as he pulled her closer. He broke their kiss to pull at her shirt. Like the last time, she raised her arms and let him slip it right over her head. Her hair fell back and splayed onto her shoulders, as he let his eyes travel down her neck and even further. His eyes stopped on the circle burn still visible right below her collarbone before trailing down to her perky breasts he knew were right underneath her little white bra. She tugged at his sleeveless shirt and he helped her pull it off of him, immediately crashing his mouth against hers as she ran her fingers down his chest. The humid air building in the bathroom only intensified the building heat between them as their bare skin touched. He snaked his arms around her back and unclasped her bra. Feeling himself shudder with anticipation as Layna let her fingertips gently trail down his bare arms while she lowered her arms and let her bra fall to the floor. He looked into her deep blue eyes as he reached down and unbuttoned her shorts, feeling that he would go crazy if he didn't get her into the shower as soon as possible. He quickly unzipped them and she wriggled, letting them fall off of her hips. She let her eyes trail down to his jeans as she grabbed his belt, only increasing his excitement.

"Let's see how fast you can get this off," her soft voice came out teasingly as she let go of him and looked back up into his eyes. Daryl immediately let his hands fall to his belt and undid it quickly, undoing the button and zipper on his jeans before looking back up. When he did, he caught a glimpse of her bare skin disappearing behind the shower curtain.

"Ain't fair," he grunted as he stepped out of his pants and underwear as fast as he could, letting them fall by her clothes laying on the floor. The sound of the water changing it's course and hitting her body instead of the shower floor made his heart rate quicken as he reached out for the plastic curtain.

When he snatched it back, she moved out of the path of the warm water to allow him room. The water droplets ran down her body and dripped from her hair as she backed up against the tiled wall. He let his eyes scan her body before stepping through the warm stream of water and locking eyes with her. He noticed that tiny water droplets had fallen on her eye lashes and let his eyes drop down to her soft lips. She leaned in and kissed him gently, pulling away to lean her head back against the wall. He crashed his lips back against hers, pressing her against the wall with his body. The warm water pounded on his back as her tongue danced with his. Layna wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her as he parted her legs with his knee. He pressed her harder against the wall as she started rubbing against him. When she let a moan slip into his mouth, he pulled away and grabbed her wrists, pinning them to the tile while his lips moved down her neck. She laid her head back against the wall as he ravished her soft skin and watched her reactions to his touch. She closed her blue eyes and tilted her head a little as she bit down on her bottom lip. He nipped gently when she moved her hips against him and let his lips trail down to her breast.

"Daryl," she whimpered breathily, when he flicked out his tongue. He immediately let go of her wrists when she breathed his name, knowing he couldn't wait any longer. He ran his fingers down her thigh and she bent her knee, propping her foot on the small ledge of the tub and parted her legs even farther. He took the chance to rub himself against her, feeling and hearing her sharp intake of breath as she anticipated what would come next. He slipped inside her quickly, much faster than the last time. She gasped out loud and he pressed his lips against hers to muffle her. He lifted her leg a little higher as he pushed all the way inside her. He groaned her name, enjoying her warm tightness before he even attempted to move. As he slowly pulled out of her, he felt her lose her footing on the slippery floor, causing her to wrap her arms around his neck even tighter. He slammed back into her as he pushed her back to the tiled wall, his body seeming to be the only thing keeping her standing. Her labored breathing and nails pressing into his back made him quicken his pace. When he felt her slipping again, he took a brief second to lift both of her legs up.

"Oh don't stop," she whimpered as she wrapped her legs around his waist, nestling her face into his neck as she held onto him tighter. Her faint moaning mixed with the sound of the warm water hitting the shower floor as she moved along with him.

He could feel her legs quivering against him as she groaned his name, getting louder as she came closer to the edge. He crashed his mouth against hers again, knowing that he wouldn't last long if she kept groaning his name. Her mouth opened and she breathed into his mouth as he felt her tighten and spasm around him. She turned into a quivering mess as she laid her head back against the tile and squeezed her legs around him tighter. He slammed back into her one last time, gripping her legs to keep her up. Reaching his ecstasy right after hers, and poured into her as he gently let his forehead press against hers.

* * *

Layna steadied her breathing as she enjoyed their closeness while they both recovered. She felt his heavy breaths on her face as he trembled before he finally went limp inside her. She let her still quivering legs slide back to the slippery floor. He slipped out of her and let her move away from the wall and back into the stream of warm water. His blue eyes met her almost identical blue ones and she felt a smile form on her lips. She turned away from him to run her fingers through her long brown hair as she held it under the stream of water. She was utterly surprised at her newfound confidence that Daryl seemed to ignite inside her. Never had she imagined she would be bold enough to take a shower with someone, especially someone like him.

He reached over and grabbed the soap off the tub ledge and rubbed it in his hands while she grabbed a shampoo bottle. She rubbed the shampoo in her hair and brought her arms down about the same time she felt Daryl's soapy hands on her shoulders. She turned back to face him and his rough hands ran down her neck while his eyes lingered down her body. They roamed down to her breasts and she stared back up at his eyes when he cupped them in his hands. She closed her eyes, enjoying the warm water pelting her back and his soapy hands roaming down her front. His calloused hands trailed down to her stomach and stopped. She held her breath as she opened her eyes and let them drop down to her stomach where his eyes were focused. She slowly brought her hands up and laid them on top of his, pulling them away slowly. When she looked back up at him, he was already focused on her face again. Being with him had made her forget the baby for just a little while, but now she could feel the hopelessness setting in again.

A sudden knock at the door made her tear her eyes away from his.

"You're still taking a shower, Layna?" Lori's voice came from outside the door.

"Uh yeah I'll be out in a minute," Layna blurted out, quickly turning back away from Daryl to wash the soap and shampoo away.

_Please review and forgive me for the wait!_


	40. Chapter 40

A week later when Layna woke up, Daryl wasn't there. She decided to go ahead and get up. Every other morning since they'd made up after their stupid fight, he'd been laying beside her when she woke up. She tried to swallow the all to familiar nauseous feeling away as she stepped into a pair of jeans and opened the bedroom door. The unfamiliar silence in the house met her as she strolled through the kitchen and living room. She noticed the empty plates by the kitchen sink when she smelled the faint smell of breakfast that had been cooked. The smell only made her nauseous feeling intensify and she burst out of the front door into the fresh air. When she saw everyone congregated outside looking toward the barn, she knew that they were still discussing the Randall problem. She still hadn't seen him, although she wanted to just take a peek and see if he was as dangerous as they treated him. Unfortunately she'd been sick when they moved him from the house to the barn where he was now staying. After a failed attempt at leading him and leaving him far away from the farm, he was back in the barn. Daryl had come into the bedroom that night and told her that he wasn't sure what had happened but Rick and Shane had both gotten back beat up, obviously because they'd been fighting, and they just brought him out to the barn and handcuffed him there. She'd already come to the conclusion that Dale had been right about Shane. Something was wrong.

Everyone watched her as she walked closer to them. She was more than glad that the Randall situation had become the main priority and that she wasn't the only thing to worry about anymore.

"What are ya'll gonna do with him?" Layna asked as she stepped close to them and crossed her arms across her stomach. She hated the way everyone's eyes automatically drifted to her stomach before they even looked at her face. They acted as if they would wake up one morning to find she had blown up like a whale.

"We'll know when Daryl gets back," Rick answered her as he looked back toward the barn.

"What's he doing?"

"Getting information out of him."

"What kind of information?" she asked as she looked back at him.

Shane shrugged. "Anything useful. We gotta know what we're up against since he knows where the farm is."

"How does he know?" Layna blurted out.

"Says he went to school with Maggie, says he knows where the farm is anyway."

"Well if he knows Maggie why are we still treating him like a prisoner?"

"Maggie doesn't remember him," Rick muttered. "But he says he only went to her school for a year before he switched to another so he didn't expect her to know him."

"I'll go help Daryl," she murmured before turning in the direction of the barn.

"Layna no," Rick grabbed her arm. "Let him handle this."Layna jerked away from him.

"If Daryl wants me to leave I'll leave," she snapped before continuing down to the barn.

Layna was a little surprised that there was no further protest as she walked to the barn. She heard Randall's voice as soon as she let her hand rest on the rough wood of the door.

"Please. Please. You gotta believe me man. I'm not like that. I ain't like that! You gotta believe me!"

She pushed the door open and froze.

* * *

Daryl turned away from Randall when he heard the door creak open. Layna stood wide eyed in the doorway as she looked at him and then back to Randall.

He wiped his bloody knuckles on his pants as he glared back at her.

"What the hell are you doin down here, Layna?"

"Layna! Oh my God, You gotta tell em to let me go!" Randall's scared voice babbled behind him.

"You shut the hell up and don't talk to her!" Daryl roared as he lunged for him once again and grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"Stop it Daryl!" Layna shrieked as he felt her grasp on his arm. He whirled back to face her.

"I know him, Daryl! He went to my school last year," she said nervously as she looked back at Randall's bleeding face. "Why would you do this to him?"

Daryl grabbed her arm and pulled her away from Randall as she tried to squat down beside him.

"Tell em I'm a nice guy, Layna," Randall pleaded as Layna struggled against him.

"He ain't who you think he is, Layna," Daryl grunted as he gently pushed her toward the door.

"Let go of me," she hissed. "You don't even know him."

"And just how well do you know him?" Daryl growled as he looked back at her.

"I told you I didn't do nothin," Randall interjected once again. Layna let him pull her out of the door and stood beside him as he let go of her to lock it back behind him. Randall was still pleading from inside.

"Why would you….why?" Layna sputtered as she followed him back to the group still standing and watching them. He ignored her questions.

"That boy there's got a gang, Thirty men, they've got heavy artillery and they ain't looking to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead, and our women… they're gonna wish they were," he announced.

"Well it's settled," Rick stated sharply.

"Whoa wait, I know him!" Layna said loudly. "He went to my school last year when he was a senior. He must have went to Maggie's school before that!"

Everyone stopped and looked at her as she babbled.

"What the hell?" Shane grumbled. "What are the odds that he would know both you and Maggie."

"We don't want this kid around, Layna", Daryl snapped back at her. "He's dangerous."

"Daryl's right we can't take the risk," Shane muttered. "The sooner he's gone the better."

"We can't just kill him," Dale sputtered.

"We'll settle this tonight," Rick announced solemnly.

Daryl watched as everyone began to break off and go in their own direction, seeming to not want to get involved.

"What if he just wanted to stay with us. He's not dangerous. His group left him anyway," Layna murmured sadly as she looked back up at him.

"Layna, times like these change people," he muttered.

"I can't believe you went in there and beat him to get answers out of him," she said disgustedly before she brushed passed him and in the direction of the house.

"Hey wait a minute," he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Go ask your little buddy what him and his group likes to do for fun."

She squinted her eyes at him. "What to do you mean, Daryl?"

"That stupid little prick had the nerve to tell me about a father daughter camping trip they interrupted."

Layna stared back at him, a look of confusion still on her face.

"They…," he stopped himself, trying not to make it incredibly blunt and upset her. "They attacked two teenage girls, alright? Kept their daddy alive just to watch the whole thing."

He saw her eyes get wider. "They raped them?"

He nodded back at her. "He said he didn't do nothin, but the way I see it, he knew too much about it."

He watched as she covered her mouth with her hand and looked down at the ground.

" Listen, I ain't arguing with you about it. I'm just keepin you safe. Ain't no way that little creep is gonna have free reign around here, knowin he can go get his buddies whenever he feels like it."

* * *

Layna stared down at the ground as she let his words sink in.

"I'm tellin ya, you can't trust nobody these days. People change," he said a little softer.

"Why would he tell you that?" she murmured as she looked back up at him.

"Well, obviously he ain't smart," he grumbled as he looked down at his bloody knuckles.

Layna could feel the nauseous feeling in her stomach intensify

"I didn't know him that well," she said softly. "He was just my lab partner in Chemistry."

"C'mon, you don't need to be worryin about it. Let us take care of it," Daryl murmured as he motioned toward the house. "You don't look so good. Maybe you need to lay down or somethin."

"I just feel sick again," she said weakly, not even mentioning her pounding headache. She leaned into Daryl as he walked her back to the porch.

"I'm pretty sure this baby hates me already," she murmured as she stepped onto the porch. She wasn't surprised when she didn't get any input from Daryl.

"I'll be inside in a minute," he said softly as he turned back to the yard.

Layna went back inside and curled up in her bed. She was confused, feeling torn about the group's decision about Randall. She was also uneasy with Daryl's way of dealing with her unwanted pregnancy. He ignored it, leaving her to deal with it by herself because she was too scared to mention it to him very often. She didn't blame him, it just worried her because she knew it wouldn't be able to be ignored much longer. She let her mind wander back to Randall, remembering those days in Chemistry lab when he was just a normal guy. Now he was a threat they were just going to eliminate.

"Layna?"

Layna rolled back over as Sophia pushed the cracked door all the way open.

"I brought you some toast again. My mom said you need to eat it this time."

Sophia sat a plate and a glass of water on the table by the bed. She picked up the Prenatal vitamins and looked at them before putting them back and sitting beside her on the edge of the bed.

Layna propped herself against the pillows and reached for the glass.

"Thanks Sophia, I promise I'll eat, just not right now."

The little girl nodded back at her. "Hey, you remember when you told me you'd teach me to braid my hair? Could you show me now?"

Layna shook her head. "Not today."

"But pleeassse," Sophia begged as she clasped her hands together.

"Alright fine," Layna gave in. "Go get a ponytail off the dresser."

When Sophia returned back to the bed, Layna took the ponytail from her.

"Okay, first you part your hair into three pieces," Layna said as she used her own hair as an example. Sophia parted her own hair and followed every move that Layna made.

"Do you think you're having a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know," Layna answered her solemnly.

"When will you find out?"

"I won't," Layna said as she watched Sophia continue the braid until she reached the ends of her hair. "Not until it's born."

"I hope it's a girl," Sophia said happily as she took the ponytail off of Layna's wrist and wrapped it around her own hair.

Layna faked a smile when Sophia looked back up at her.

"Do you want it to be a girl?"

"I don't know," Layna murmured as she leaned back against the pillows.

"Well, Carl said he wants it to be a boy," Sophia continued.

"You're a fast learner," Layna interrupted her as she attempted to change the subject.

Sophia smiled back at her even bigger.

"Sophia!" Carl's voice came from the hall. "I gotta show you something!"

Sophia leapt off the bed and looked at her reflection before bounding out of the open door. Layna could hear the two's excited voices as they happily talked until they were out of her range of hearing. She pulled her hair out of the braid she had began and reached for a piece of toast.

At least someone was happily awaiting the arrival of this baby. She couldn't allow herself to be aggravated at Sophia. The girl was just too innocent, and innocence was rare now.


	41. Chapter 41

_Author's Note: Thanks so much for the continuous reviews! I'm really glad you all like the story line. It is a little tough to write since I've never dealt with anything even remotely as painful or heart wrenching as this. I enjoy delving into the emotions though. Please keep reviewing guys! Oh and thanks for being understanding about my lack of updating because of school._

Layna stood in front of the window in her bedroom. She watched as Daryl followed Rick and Shane out into the yard beneath the now darkening sky. Rick had his pistol in his hand. She didn't really know how she should even feel about Randall. It wasn't like it really mattered what her opinion was anyway. Randall was about to be executed and no one had stood up for him, well except for Dale. After Daryl had told her what Randall had told him, she hadn't mentioned him again. As the three entered the barn, a dim light lit up the inside. Everyone else had stayed inside the house, not wanting to be involved in the dirty deed. She didn't even know why they had asked Daryl to go.

Layna didn't know what she was waiting for. Would she even hear the gunshot from inside the house. Did she even want to hear it? She held her breath as she awaited it, but movement pulled her attention from the barn. Carl was sneaking to the barn. As he walked into the dim light coming from the door, she frowned. He didn't need to see his dad kill Randall. She prayed that they would see him and make him leave. She stopped herself from going outside to retrieve him when she saw Shane emerge, tightly clutching onto Carl. Rick followed him and she waited anxiously for Daryl to emerge too. Maybe they weren't killing him tonight. She hadn't heard a gunshot after all. As she stared out at the barn, she heard the door slam in the living room.

"Carl, man, why can't you stay in the house!" Shane's angry voice bellowed.

"Did you do it?" Lori's asked nervously.

"No," Rick said gruffly.

She peered outside the window once again. If they weren't killing him tonight then what was Daryl still doing out there? She wanted him to come back inside. Sometimes she felt as if they were drifting apart, and it scared her. Although he had promised that he would be there for her and the baby she was scared that he might change his mind. He had every right too. She often wondered what their relationship would be like if she wasn't pregnant with his brother's baby. She imagined that it would probably be like Glenn and Maggie's. Their relationship was carefree and happy. She felt like her and Daryl's relationship was cloudy and not as sturdy. Layna finally pulled her eyes away from the window and walked into the living room. She walked passed everyone and out of the door. As soon as she shut it behind her, she heard a scream. She immediately looked toward the barn but realized that it came from the fields. Layna squinted into the foggy night as the screams became louder. Daryl tore out of the barn and headed in the direction of the screams so Layna followed. She'd made it halfway across the yard when she heard the Rick and Shane's voices on the porch behind her. She bounded into the fields, following Daryl's trail. She froze when a walker came into view. Daryl tackled the walker that was on top of someone. She held her breath, praying he wouldn't get bitten as he landed on top of it. She let out a sigh of relief when he stabbed it with his knife. Layna hurried over when Daryl stood back up. She felt like she got the breath knocked out of her when she realized that it was Dale who was writhing on the ground in pain.

"Hang in there buddy," Layna heard Daryl say nervously before he turned and noticed her.

"Go get Hershel," Daryl ordered, but Layna was frozen in place. She pried her eyes away from Dale's bleeding body on the ground to the walker that Daryl had slain a few feet away. She heard everyone else's hysterical voices as they neared the scene of the tragedy. Groans and yelps of pain were now being emitted from Dale and she could feel the bile rising in her throat. She turned away from Dale's body as everyone else crowded around.

"Go get Hershel!" someone shrieked.

Layna gagged as everyone's voices blended together. When she turned back around, she saw Rick holding his gun out at Dale.

"He's suffering, Do something," Andrea cried as she knelt down beside him.

Layna couldn't pry her eyes away from the heart wrenching sight as Dale leaned his head against the barrel. It felt like an eternity as she waited for the gunshot that would end Dale's suffering. She held her breath as Daryl stepped up and carefully took the gun out of Rick's hand.

"Sorry brother," Daryl murmured and Layna ducked her head down into her shoulder as the gun shot rang through the now cool, night air.

When morning came, Layna's face was still damp from her tears. She could feel the tearstains on her pillow and the sheet that she'd wrapped around herself. Daryl got up as soon as the sunlight came through the window. The curtains were still open and the sun brightened the room, only depressing her even more. The day outside looked bright and misleading. How could it be so beautiful outside when there was so much danger. She'd cried almost all night. Daryl had finally come in pretty late but she was sure he hadn't slept either. They hadn't said a single word to each other, only exchanged a few glances.

Dale was dead - The words kept repeating in her mind. It'd been so long since they'd lost someone. Dale shouldn't have had to go that way. She remembered Rick's hesitation from last night that led to Daryl putting him out of his misery. Her heart ached.

"They're uh, havin a thing for Dale now," Daryl murmured as he stepped back into the room.

Layna wiped her eyes. "I don't think I can go."

"C'mon, you should," Daryl continued.

Layna swallowed back the lump in her throat as she stared back at Daryl. She knew Dale probably wouldn't want her sulking in her bed. If he was still here, she knew he would probably be giving her a lecture on not stressing out to make sure the baby was going to be okay and healthy. Layna slowly crawled out of bed.

Daryl grabbed a light brown sweater, she'd started using off the dresser and handed it out to her. Layna slipped it on and wrapped her arms around herself. It was getting colder outside, especially in the mornings and nights. She followed Daryl outside and to the area that had been designated for burial of their dead. The raised dirt signified where Dale had just been buried. Rick's voice became clearer as she blinked and allowed the tears to fall from her eyes. Her vision was getting blurry as everyone turned to look at her and Daryl as they made their way over. She saw their tearstained faces and let a sob escape her throat. She stopped before she even made it to their circle as Rick continued with his final words. The tears were falling freely again.

* * *

Daryl turned back when he heard a sob come from Layna. She had stopped behind him, not able to go any further before she broke down. He reached out and pulled her close to him. She collapsed into him and he immediately felt the dampness from her face, passing through his thin shirt and hitting his skin. She cried quietly into his chest as Rick's monologue droned on. He was ashamed that he hadn't hugged her when she cried like this all night. He was still coming to terms with what had happened himself. If walkers were going to start wandering onto the farm, they were in trouble. He surprised even himself when he slipped the gun out of Rick's hand, but it had to be done. He figured Dale would have probably turned into a walker anyway since it had ripped him apart. Nobody deserved to go through that process. For a brief second, he thought about Merle. He had probably gotten bitten and turned up there cuffed to that roof in Atlanta. He'd killed his own brother, maybe not with his own hands, but he was still accountable. Layna's sniffles brought him back to reality, about the time everyone slowly broke apart form their circle. Daryl caught sight of Sophia softly sobbing as she followed Carol back to the house. He hated seeing everyone so emotional, but most of all he hated seeing Layna upset.

He noticed Rick as he slowly approached them and Layna pulled away from him.

"Will you go with me to drop out Randall?" Daryl was surprised that this was Rick's final decision. He let his gaze drop back to Layna's before he looked back at Rick.

"I think you understand why I won't be taking Shane," Rick continued.

"Just go," Layna murmured as she stared back up at him. "Don't worry about me." He watched as she slowly walked away from him and back toward the house.

* * *

Layna looked back at the yard from the porch. She could see Daryl and Rick still talking, and Shane was walking around the barn that Randall was in. He was pacing, probably pissed that he wasn't included in this mission.

Layna stepped into the house, and wrapped the sweater tighter around her body. She was freezing and her throat still ached because of the sobs she was holding back. She saw Lori disappear into the bedroom that she and Rick slept in and Layna followed her. They hadn't been talking lately but she was ready to change that.

"Lori?" Layna called softly.

Lori turned back to face her. "Are you okay?"

Layna shrugged and stepped into Lori's outstretched arms.

"Are you still sick?" Lori asked thoughtfully as Layna pulled away form her hug.

"Sometimes," Layna shrugged.

"Layna, I've been meaning to tell you.." Lori trailed off as she looked into her eyes.

"I don't want to offend you or anything, keep in mind, I'm just trying to help. I've been giving this a lot of thought, and so has Carol."

"What is it?" Layna asked nervously.

"If you don't think you can take care of this baby, we'll take care of it. I understand if you can't. I don't blame you. We'll all pitch in."

Layna bit down on the inside of her cheek as she looked back at her sister.

"We've just got to be honest with each other Layna. If you'll be honest about your feelings I'll be honest too. Do you think you'll be able to take care of it?"

"Lori, it's mine. I wouldn't feel right passing it on," Layna murmured.

"Just keep remembering that Layna, it is yours. It's a part of you now."

"I know," Layna said softly. "I know it isn't the baby's fault. This whole situation just sucks."

They both stood in silence for a minute before Lori interrupted it.

"I have something I need to be honest about," Lori murmured quietly. "When we were at the camp, I made a mistake."

Layna eyed Lori suspiciously as she waited for her to explain.

"Layna, I slept with Shane."

Layna glared back at her sister. "What the hell?"

"I thought Rick was dead, Layna. But now, Shane is acting crazy, out of control almost. He doesn't understand that it was a mistake and won't happen again."

"You're the reason why he's acting like this?" Layna demanded. "Does Rick know?"

"Yes," Lori murmured.

"And he forgave you?"

Lori nodded.

Layna pulled away from her sister and stepped back into the hallway. Her conversations with her sister always turned out heartfelt and loving and turned into pure hell. She was immediately met in the hallway by a wide eyed Sophia and Carl.

"Layna," Sophia whimpered. "We did something bad."

"What?" Layna asked nervously. She didn't understand what was up with everyone confessing their sins to her today.

"Here," Carl pulled a pistol out of his waistband and thrust it at her.

"What did you do?" Layna cried out as she quickly unloaded the pistol.

"It's Daryl's gun," Carl explained nervously. "We took it out of his motorcycle bag. Please give it back to him. If he knows I took it, he'll kill me."

Layna glared back at Carl and Sophia. "Ya'll can't play with guns. What were you both thinking?"

"It's our fault Dale died," Sophia whispered.

"What are you talking about?" Layna asked. "He got attacked by a walker."

She could feel her sadness fading away and anger and confusion taking it's place.

"We found that walker stuck in the mud," Carl whispered. "It got loose and we ran. We should have shot it, or told somebody."

Layna stared back at their young faces and then back at Daryl's gun in her hands.

She heard the living room door open and Rick and Daryl's voices as they entered the house. Sophia and Carl darted away from her and she quickly tucked the gun in her own waistband and covered it with the sweater. The bullets went into her pocket and she calmed herself before she exited the hall. As upset as she was of Carl and Sophia's wrongdoing, she wasn't sure telling Rick or Lori was the best thing to do. Layna followed Daryl and Rick back outside the door as they carried some food supplies back to Daryl's truck. She waited until Rick walked away and then crept over to Daryl as he tossed a few water bottles in a box.

"Here," she muttered as she pulled the pistol from underneath her sweater. "Why do you have my gun?" he muttered as he took it back from her.

Layna ignored him as she scooped the bullets out of her pocked and let them trickle into his opened hand.

He eyed her suspiciously as she scanned to make sure Rick wasn't close by.

"Promise you won't get mad?"

Daryl shrugged. "What's goin on?"

"Carl," she said simply. "He and Sophia were playing with your gun." She decided it would be best to leave out the walker part. "They took it from your motorcycle bag."

Daryl glared back at her. "What the hell do they think they were doin?"

"I don't know Daryl, but don't yell at em, that's the last thing they need."

"I'll go get the package," T-dog's voice interrupted them as he walked passed them. Layna watched T-dog walk over to the barn door and rap on it before he undid the padlock.

"Them kids coulda shot somebody," Daryl muttered.

Layna turned back to face him.

"I know. I told em it was dangerous. They're real sorry. Carl thought you were goin to kill him."

Daryl grunted.

"Aw hell no!" T-dog's angry voice carried from the barn. Layna whirled away from Daryl.

"He's gone!" T-dog yelled.

"He's gone?" Layna shrieked as she looked back at Daryl. A gun shot suddenly rang through the air, sending Rick and a few other running over to them.

"It came from over there," T-dog yelled as he pointed to the woods behind the house.

Layna watched as a frenzy of people checked out the barn.

"This door was locked from the outside," Hershel spoke as he shut the door. "How would he get out?"

"Daryl, Glen, T-dog, come with me," Rick barked. "Everybody else get in the house." Rick grabbed his pistol and headed toward the woods where the gun shot had come from.

Daryl quickly loaded the bullets in his gun and turned back to face her. "Go inside now."

"Be careful," Layna pleaded as Daryl turned and briskly followed Rick, Glen, and T-dog to the woods.

* * *

Layna paced nervously in the living room as everyone waited anxiously for news. "Has anyone seen Shane?" Lori asked, finally breaking the painful silence in the room.

Layna couldn't help but think of Lori's confession earlier. She never would have imagined that was the reason Shane was acting so strangely.

Everyone looked at each other and shrugged.

"Not after Dale's funeral," Carol replied softly.

Layna finally walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. She felt exhausted, but was thankful she wasn't sick. She was worried. Where had Randall gone? And where was Shane? As her eyes drifted out the kitchen window, she froze. She caught a flash of Carl darting into the woods behind the house.

Layna didn't waste a second before chasing after him out the already open, back screen door.

"Carl!" she called, trying to keep her voice down. "You've lost your mind!"

She ducked into the woods and looked around. She didn't see him, but she could hear the faint sound of footsteps. She followed the sound for a while and caught sight of him before he ducked behind a tree.

"I see you Carl. Get back over here or I'm gonna tell your mom," Layna growled. "We don't know where Randall is. He's dangerous!"

"Don't follow me Layna, I'm gonna go help my dad find Randall," Carl called out as he moved from behind the tree.

"No you're not," Layna shrieked as she hurried over to him. She grabbed his arm and looked around. She wasn't sure just how far she had chased him, but she knew they needed to get back to the house as soon as possible.

"Layna look out!" Carl suddenly screamed as he pointed behind her.


	42. Chapter 42

"Can you track him? Do you see anything?" Rick asked hopefully as he looked around.

Daryl shoved his gun in his waistband and repositioned the crossbow on his back.

"No, I don't see nothin," he grumbled as he scanned the leaves that covered the ground.

"Man, where's Shane? Somethin ain't right about all this," T-dog said nervously.

"We don't even know where to start looking for Randall," Glen cut in.

Daryl stepped a little ahead of the group as he scanned the ground.

"Let's just keep walking a little farther. I'm sure this is where the gunshot came from," Rick suggested.

"Who was shooting?" Glen asked. "Do you think it was Shane?"

Daryl looked back to see Rick's reaction, but he only shrugged. As he looked back ahead, the shiny gleam of a gun caught his attention from the leaves.

"Hold up, we got somethin," Daryl announced as he looked at the disturbed leaves in front of him. Before he made it to the gun, he noticed deep red droplets on the leaves. He heard everyone's footsteps behind him as he stooped down and picked up the pistol. He turned around and Rick snatched it from him.

"Shane's gun," Rick said solemnly.

"There's a lot more blood here," Glen's voice came from a few feet away.

Daryl pushed passed Glen and looked down at the blood on the ground. It was definitely a lot.

He glanced around the woods.

"Where the hell's the body?" he grumbled. "Nobody walked away from this."

Rick was at his side instantly, looking down at the ground.

"That was a kill shot," Daryl muttered as he stepped back away from the blood while everyone else moved in to see it. He couldn't shake the weird feeling that something had really gone wrong.

A bloodcurdling scream suddenly pierced the already eerie air. Glen stepped back and bumped into him as everyone looked around frantically.

Daryl pointed toward the left when it stopped.

"Who the hell was that?" Glen stuttered.

"A girl," Rick said quickly before he darted in the direction it had come from. Daryl followed, pulling the crossbow off of his back. What the hell was going on and how many people were out in the woods with them?

* * *

Layna whirled around and screamed. She hadn't meant for it to come out, but the sight she saw sent it erupting from her. She saw that it was a walker immediately. The drag in its step, the groaning it emitted, and its deadlike appearance showed her that it was one right away. She noticed a second later who it really was. She stumbled backwards and latched onto Carl as Shane dragged himself toward them.

"Shane?" Carl cried out as he stumbled backwards with her.

She saw that Shane's whole front was covered in blood. It had soaked totally through his shirt.

Layna pulled Carl in the opposite direction away from Shane, but also away from the house. She pushed herself to run faster, pulling Carl along with her as Shane's groans grew louder. Her breathing was coming out ragged and her sweater was sticking to every briar bush and bramble as they burst through the undergrowth of the woods.

"What are we going to do?" Carl cried.

"Just run!" Layna yelled back. She knew their only chance was to outrun him and hide. There was nothing in the woods to use as a weapon. Layna pulled Carl into a small clearing and paused for a moment to catch her breath. She looked around nervously, praying that they had lost Shane.

"I can't run anymore," Carl whined as he latched onto her tighter. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," Layna said breathlessly. She didn't take her eyes away from the bushes they had come through as she awaited Shane to burst through them.

"Layna? Is that you?" a voice behind them made her whirl around. As she turned, she gasped.

"Randall?" she could feel her blood run cold.

"What are you two doin out here?"

"Uh…we got chased by a walker," Layna stuttered. "Shane's a walker."

"What are ya talkin about?" Randall shouted as he stepped closer to them. She noticed his slight limp from his leg injury as he did.

"He must've gotten bitten," she tried again. She wasn't sure how much to say to him. If he was really as dangerous as Daryl and everyone had made him out to be, then she was ready to take her chances with the walker.

"He didn't get bit, I shot him," Randall said as he glared back at her.

"What?" Layna shrieked as she took a step away from him.

"He was trying to kill me," Randall explained. "He brought me out in the woods to kill me but I shot him first. Right in the chest. It killed him I swear. I watched him die."

Layna stood frozen as she recognized the sounds of Shane's dragging gait coming through the woods.

"That's him!" Carl stammered nervously.

"C'mon, there's a house not too far from here. It's empty. I saw it a little while ago," Randall suggested as he motioned for them.

Layna didn't know what to do. She looked back at Randall, noticing just how bad Daryl had messed his face up.

"Let's go, Layna," Carl pleaded. She could feel him shaking as he clutched onto her.

"Layna you know me, you can trust me. I told him I didn't do anything. Why don't you believe me?"

Layna didn't know him very well. Only as much as you would know someone if you had a class with themfor a semester, but as Shane's crashing steps became louder in the woods, she ran toward Randall. He turned and led her and Carl back out into the woods. She easily kept up with him. The slight limp slowed him down a lot when running. Sure enough, they burst through the woods and into a grown up yard where an old house stood. Randall led the way into the house through the back door and he shut it behind them. Carl let go of Layna and she looked around. It was dusty, dirty and the smell was musty. She was beginning to wonder if anyone lived in it even before the the walkers came.

"Damn, there he is," Randall said as he peered through the window on the door. "Why the hell did he turn? He didn't get bitten."

Layna's mind flashed back to what Dr. Jenner had told Rick, but she was more concerned with the fact that she had followed the man who had an already bad reputation along with his recent murder of Shane to a secluded house.

"We need to get back to the farm," Layna stammered. "They'll be looking for us and I'm sure they'll be worred about Carl."

Randall turned back to face her.

"I ain't goin back to that farm. Shit, them guys are crazy. Why do you stay with them?"

"They aren't that crazy," she said nervously.

He scoffed. "They saved me and then beat the hell out of me for no reason, Layna."

"That Daryl asshole is as crazy as they come, and he acts like he owns you."

Layna glared back at him. "He isn't crazy. You're the one who told him what you did. Why would you say something like that?" She kept the conversation very vague considering that Carl was involved.

"I don't know Layna! I didn't know what the hell I was saying. Are you with that asshole now? He's gotta be like how much older than you?" Randall asked as he stepped closer to her.

"Just shut up," Layna hissed. "We're going back."

He reached out quickly and grabbed her arm. "Do you even know the way back?"

Layna jerked away from him and took a step back.

"Yes," she lied.

"Why don't you just come back with me? It's a pretty big group but I think you would like it. Hell, bring the boy too."

"No," Layna said quickly.

"Aw c'mon, why not? Our group is way better than yours. There's more protection and you'd be away from that hot tempered asshole."

"We can't go," Carl said quickly. "I need to stay with my mom and dad."

"Yeah I can't go either," Layna snapped. "Just help me take out that walker and we'll leave. You can go back to your group. I won't say a word about seeing you."

"Why won't you come? Are you worried about having nobody to watch your back and protect you? I'm telling ya, you can find somebody better than who've you've got."

He took a step closer to her.

"Trust me, it ain't hard to find a guy to take care of ya out there it you're pretty," he said softly.

"I said no," she raised her voice.

"I'd protect you," he said with a sly smile.

Layna didn't like his changing behavior, and she could feel a shiver travel through her body.

"I said that you could go back to your group," Layna said a little more sternly. "And we would go back to ours."

"You're gonna come with me."

Layna swallowed hard and looked around the dingy kitchen. She could see one door leading out to a hallway but she wasn't sure where the front door was. The musty smell was burning her nose and making her feel a little sick.

"You can't make us go with you," Carl said nervously.

"Why can't I? Other than the sad little point that you all need your families?"

Carl didn't say anything else.

"Me and Layna are friends and friends stick together," Randall said teasingly. "We had that class together. What was it?"

"Chemistry," Layna said softly.

"Ah, that's right. Ya know, I always though you were the prettiest girl in the class."

"Just let us leave, Randall. You have no reason to keep us with you. I'm giving you a free chance to leave."

He stared back at her and flicked his tongue over his busted lip.

"If Daryl and Rick find you, they'll kill you," she stammered.

"Well if me and my group sees them, we'll kill them too, trust me. That twisted cop already shot two others outta my group, and kept me like a damn prisoner. Why is that redneck lucky enough to have you anyway?"

Layna chewed nervously on her bottom lip.

"Well okay, since you aren't bein very easy, I'll just have to put it this way. If you don't come with me, I'll just send my group back to the farm. I know where it is. I'm sure they'd love to know. They really like revenge."

"No," Layna sputtered.

"It wasn't a question, it was an order."

Layna looked around for anything to use as a weapon. Her eyes fell on a drawer that was hanging out a little. From where she was standing she could tell that it had eating utensils inside. It was on his side of the kitchen though and she was scared to dart for them. When she looked back up, her eyes met his, but he was now looking at the drawer.

"Humph that knife could come in handy," he said as he reached over into the drawer.

Layna pushed Carl toward the doorway and he understood that she meant to run. She darted out of the doorway and into the maze of a house, following behind Carl.

"You better get back here! Remember what I told you!" Randall yelled from the kitchen.

They rounded a corner and she saw the front door. Carl made it to it first and quickly fumbled with the knob. Layna noticed that the chain was locked and hurriedly undid it as Carl opened it. Randall rounded the corner as they both threw open the door and darted out into the yard. Layna pulled Carl back into the woods and prayed that Shane was still in the backyard. The two of them crashed through the branches and bushes as they headed back toward the general direction Randall had found them in the first place. Her heart thudded in her chest when they stopped for a breath. She didn't hear Randall. She was sure they could outrun him anyway, but she was also worried that they wouldn't be able to warn everyone back at the farm of the impending danger.

* * *

"How many fuckin wild goose chases are we gonna be on today?" Daryl growled at Rick as he suggested they press farther into the woods. We're never gonna find this screamin Jane Doe, or Randall for that matter."

"Or Shane," Glen murmured.

"He might be back at the farm by now, I mean who knows?" T-dog suggested.

"We don't know who's blood that was," Rick said gruffly. "We need to find out."

"No, we need to go back and check on everybody at the damn farm," Daryl muttered as they walked into a clearing. Whoever was out here ain't out here no more."

"I agree with Daryl," Glen said timidly.

"Wait shhh!" Daryl said quickly. He could hear crashing footsteps coming through the dry leaves. He raised his crossbow, instinctively as they came closer.

He felt his mouth fall open when Layna and Carl burst through the bushes.

"Daryl!" Layna shrieked as she ran to him.

He lowered his crossbow quickly and she practically jumped into his arms. She started crying and he pulled away to look at her.

"What the hell is goin on?" he demanded as he looked at her torn sweater. "Where've you been?"

"Shane's a walker and Randall tried to take us back with him!" she said hysterically.

"Shane got bit?" Glen asked nervously.

"No," Layna shook her head as she choked back a sob. "Randall shot him and killed him. He turned without getting bit."

Daryl was beginning to piece everything together now. The blood was Shane's, but why did he turn? He looked back at Layna as he thought. She had a few scratches on her face, from running through the woods, he assumed.

"We're all infected," Rick said solemnly.

"What?" Glen gasped.

"Jenner told me we were all infected."

Daryl glared back at Rick. How could everyone be infected?

"We can't just stand here!" Layna shrieked. "He said he was going to tell the group where the farm is because I wouldn't go back with him!"

"What?" Daryl growled. "Did he hurt you?"

"No," Layna said softly. "He's crazy though."

"I'm gonna kill him!" Daryl shouted angrily.

"No, we've gotta get back to the farm! Randall's probably on his way back to his own group right now. They all want revenge."

"I knew we should have killed that little prick days ago!" Daryl roared as Layna stepped away from him.

Daryl turned back to Rick who was standing stonefaced and clutching Carl to his side.

"Well let's fuckin go!" Daryl yelled as he picked his crossbow back up. He could feel his blood boiling as he thought about Randall. What were they going to do if they got back to find all thirty of those men waiting for them?

_Please continue to review!_


	43. Chapter 43

"Where was Randall last?" Rick asked as everyone frantically looked around.

"He's probably gone by now," Layna said nervously. "Let's just get back to the farm before they do."

Layna looked up at the slowly darkening sky and back down at the group.

"We just need to catch that son of a bitch before he can make it back to his group," Daryl suggested angrily. "Hell, I'll go find him myself right now."

"No, please don't," Layna pleaded once again. "We need everybody at the farm. What if he's already back to his group?"

Daryl looked back at her as he positioned his crossbow back on his back. She could tell he was torn between going after Randall or going back to the farm.

"She's right, Daryl, let's go," Rick announced as he quickly led the way back through the bushes and into the woods. Layna followed close behind Daryl. She could feel her heart racing as she looked around them nervously. The darkness setting in made the trees and bushes blur together as they jogged through them.

As the undergrowth grew thicker, she fell a little more behind. She was getting tired from dodging branches and every briar she passed scratched her skin or tugged on her clothing. When the group stopped for a second, she took the chance to catch up. Daryl turned and noticed her falling behind.

"What are we gonna do when we get back?" T-dog asked. "We can't fight against thirty men."

Layna felt her foot hit a tree root and tired to catch herself before she hit the ground. When she threw her arms out, she felt Daryl's hands roughly catch hers, saving her just before she hit the ground.

"Shit!" she gasped as he lifted her back up. She tried to catch her breath as he let go of her arms.

"C'mon, it ain't much farther," he murmured as the group started moving again. This time he held back to match her slower pace, holding back the large branches or briars for her to pass through.

When they finally burst through the woods and back into the farm yard, it was almost totally dark.

"What's the plan?" Daryl asked as they jogged back to the house.

"Well we have the guns," Rick began, "But.."

"They got the number and probably more guns," Daryl interrupted. He looked nervously toward the driveway. Would that even be where they came from or would they sneak through the woods?

"C'mon Carl," Layna said breathlessly. "I'll take him inside and tell the others."

"Wait a minute," Daryl muttered as he pulled the pistol Carl had taken out of his waistband.

Layna turned back to him. She was still breathing hard and he knew if he could see her face a little clearer in the darkness he would see scratches from her plunder through the woods.

"Keep this on you," he said as he handed it to her. She took it quickly and hurried toward the house with Carl running alongside her.

When she was out of earshot of them Rick opened his mouth again.

"We need to get them outta here."

Daryl nodded. He definitely didn't want Layna to get hurt or become another pawn.

"Glen, you can take the women and Carl and Sophia away somewhere safe in the RV," Rick continued.

"Wait what?" Glen blurted out.

"You can drive the RV right?"

"Yeah, but what about you guys?"

Daryl looked back at Rick, trying to read his face in the darkness. Did he really think that them and T-dog would be able to do anything by themselves?

The sound of frantic voices poured out into the yard, causing them to all turn. Rick hurried over to the porch as he explained his idea.

"Glen is going to take the women and kids away in the RV," he ordered.

"So T-dog and Daryl are your big army?" Lori asked nervously. "We aren't going without you."

"Daryl I'm not going unless you're going too!" Layna shrieked as she walked back over to him.

Everyone started arguing immediately.

"You're gettin outta here whether I do or not," Daryl growled back. Layna grabbed his arm.

"No I'm not," she argued. "You can't stay here, they're gonna kill you if you stay. How do you three think you're going to protect the whole farm by yourselves?"

Daryl let his eyes drift back to everyone else's arguments.

"I'm staying too," Hershel announced. "It's my farm, I'll die here."

Layna whirled away from him and back to the group.

"You guys, how do you possibly think you can protect this whole farm from thirty men?" she asked desperately.

"Layna is right, maybe it's a lost cause," Carol said sadly as she pulled Sophia close to her.

"We can't just leave the farm to them!" Rick shouted. "This has been the safest place we've found. We have all our supplies here! Are we just going to hand everything over to them?"

Daryl felt Layna's hand touch his arm again. "Daryl, you know it isn't worth it to stay, come with us please."

"Glen just take them now! We're running out of time!" Rick ordered.

* * *

"I'm not going," Layna insisted as Glen ran back toward the house to help the others gather a few supplies.

"I'm not losing you again," Lori began yelling angrily to Rick.

Layna jumped when Daryl grabbed both of her arms as he pulled her back to look at him.

"You gottta go Layna. We'll make it out. You have more than one person to think about right now. It ain't just you puttin yourself in danger anymore."

Layna stared back at Daryl in surprise. Had he really just made brought up the baby? Did he think making her feel guilty was going to help anything?

"Well I need you with me," she stammered. "Either we both go or we both stay."

"Why do you have to be so fucking stubborn Layna!" Daryl growled.

"No why do you have to be so stubborn?" She shouted back. "You know there's no hope for this farm if they come."

"We're running out of time!" Rick yelled out. "Go get the bags of guns out of the house," he ordered to T-dog.

Layna stared down Daryl who was still holding onto her arms, when a flicker of light caught her attention in the fields to the side of the house.

"There's somebody out there," Layna blurted out, causing Daryl to whirl away from her. But by the time he looked, the light had disappeared into the woods.

"Where?" he asked quickly.

Layna felt her stomach sink. "They went in the woods. It looked like a light. Maybe a flashlight," she stuttered nervously.

"They're sneaking around," Daryl muttered as he scanned the fields.

"Please let's just go," Layna pleaded. She was definitely scared now. Scared that they'd waited too late to leave safely now.

"What's the plan, Rick?" Daryl asked angrily before he was interrupted.

"Whooweee!" a voice hollered from the woods, sending a chill up her spine.

"Get everybody in the house!" Rick hissed as he grabbed Lori and headed toward the porch.

"Hell naw!" Daryl argued. "They know we're fuckin here. We'll be trapped in there. Unless there's a tunnel down there I don't know about, then that's not gonna be an option."

Rick stopped in his tracks as a gunshot exploded in the air, followed by a few others. It was more than obvious that the men were playing a dangerous game with them. They weren't shooting at them, they were trying to scare them.

T-dog came out of the house with the bag of guns as more gunshots exploded into the air.

"Change of plans. We're leaving," Rick ordered.

Layna was immediately whisked away by Daryl who only stopped for a second to grab a gun out of the bag before he pulled her to his truck parked by the side of the house.

Layna turned and saw everyone else climbing into the RV and a few of the other vehicles.

"Oh my God," she gasped as a few pairs of headlights pulled into the long driveway.

"They're coming!" Andrea shouted from beside the RV.

"Where's Carl and Sophia?" Carol screamed from the porch.

Layna jerked away from Daryl and started back in the direction of the house.

"Where were they last?" Layna screamed. She could feel the panic rising in her throat. Of course they would run off at the worst possible time. Layna felt Daryl's strong grasp as he stopped her.

"We ain't got time to look for em. They'll find em," he gritted through his teeth as he pulled her back in the direction of his truck.

"They're in the RV!" Lori's voice carried from inside the RV.

As Layna and Daryl made it to his truck, the strange vehicles were stopping in the driveway, almost as if they were forming a barrier. Glen started the RV up and drove through the grass as he attempted an escape, passing by the people who were now climbing out of the vehicles. Layna threw open the door and climbed in, gripping Daryl's pistol tightly in her hands.

"Put on your seatbelt," Daryl ordered as he quickly started the truck. Layna looked out the window as everyone else in the group sped away in different vehicles, swerving around people who were making their way toward the house. Guns were being fired and people were yelling.

"They're coming out of the woods too," Layna choked out as Daryl turned the truck around and rode past the house. As their headlights fell on a few people struggling in front of the house, she and Daryl both realized who they were.

Jimmy and Beth had gotten left. The two were backing up against the side of the house, totally frozen as they were surrounded by a handful of men with guns.

"We have to help them!" Layna shrieked as she saw one of them lunge at Jimmy.

* * *

Daryl gritted his teeth as he saw a few of the men jump Jimmy. He saw him take a punch to the face that sent him sprawling backwards. Layna started screaming for him to stop the truck but he could only think about getting her away from the mess that was now all around them.

"Make them stop!" Layna cried as they passed by the horrible sight.

He cringed when he heard the close gunshot. As he turned to look out the back window, he saw Jimmy's body laying sprawled out on the ground. Beth took a wild dash around the porch and was scooped up by a burly looking man who picked her up easily even though she was thrashing about.

He stopped the truck on impulse when Layna threw open her door, but wished he hadn't when she leapt out of it. He threw the truck in park and leapt out after her, grabbing the pistol he had gotten out of the bag himself. He raised his gun and shot at the men who had attacked Jimmy when they noticed him. He took one down right away and ducked behind the porch when the others fired at him. He heard the bullets hitting the wooden rails as he rounded the corner of the house, in search of Layna. He heard her voice before he saw her.

"Let her go!" Layna's panicked voice pierced the air as she pointed his pistol at the man who had a tight grip on Beth's arm. The light poured out the window from inside the house, allowing just enough light to see that the man looked surprised but he made no attempt to let go of Beth.

"Let her fuckin go!" Daryl growled, making Layna whirl for a second before turning her attention back to the man.

When Layna turned back around, she pulled the trigger, surprising even him. Beth screamed as the man fell backwards.

"Look out!" Beth squeaked and pointed behind him, causing him to whirl around just in time to see a man rounding the corner of the house, his gun drawn. Daryl fired at the man and ran toward Beth and Layna as the man fell. Layna grabbed Beth's arm and pulled her around the house in front of him. He made them stop as he flattened himself against the wall, listening as the men entered the house. The crashing and yelling could be heard all the way from outside. Layna tried to quiet Beth who was crying uncontrollably.

"The truck is right around there," Daryl whispered as he pointed around the house.

"Go, Run," he hissed when he heard men's voices coming around the house behind them.

Layna and Beth darted around the house, running for the truck with him right behind them. He kept his gun drawn, ready to shoot at anyone who tried to stop them. As he followed them out into the open he noticed that most everyone was in the process of searching the house.

'Just get them to the truck,' he kept saying silently. That was all he had to do and then they would be home free.

He felt his adrenaline rush intensify as the men noticed them. He grabbed the door handle and dove into the truck, starting it as Beth clambered in, followed by Layna. He sped out quickly, as the men that were on the porch fired a few shots at them.

They pulled out of the driveway and swerved passed a few other trucks while Beth cried uncontrollably in between him and Layna.

"Where are we going?" she cried.

Daryl didn't answer her. He didn't know where they were going. He only knew that he was putting as many miles between them and the farm as possible. He couldn't help but be mad at Beth. It was because of her that he could've lost Layna. It wasn't anyone's fault but Beth's and Jimmy's that they were left anyway.

They drove in almost silence, except for Beth's sniffles. He had decided that the highway where they lost Sophia was the best bet to meet everyone at. He just hoped they all had the same idea.

* * *

Layna sat still as she waited for Rick and Daryl to decide what would be best to do. She'd went to check on Lori and the others first but then retreated back to the truck as they talked about Shane. She was having a hard time deciding if they were upset that he was gone or upset that he had let Randall out of the barn. Luckily nearly everyone had made it out safely. They were lucky that the only fatalities were Jimmy and Shane, although she wished they hadn't had any.

Daryl got back in the truck and started it.

"We're going a little farther away from the farm before we stop."

"That's a good idea," Layna murmured.

She stared out the windshield as they led the group ahead. Daryl finally slowed down and looked in the rearview mirror to see that everyone else was doing the same.

"God, you scared me to death out there Layna," Daryl muttered as she wrapped herself tighter in her sweater. He pulled the truck farther on the shoulder of the road and looked back at her.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "We couldn't leave Beth."

"Well you didn't have to run out there like you were indestructable."

"Well it's not like you were doing anything to help her," Layna muttered.

She shivered from the chilly night air and fear from the excitement they'd just been through. He cut off the engine, leaving them in total darkness.

"C'mere," he muttered.

"What?" Layna asked, not sure if she even heard him.

"I said c'mere. You're fuckin cold aren't you?"

Layna slid closer to him.

"What are we gonna do now?" she asked softly. "There's nowhere to go."

"We'll figure something out," he answered her sharply.

Layna fell silent, knowing that he was in a bad mood.

She leaned against him.

"Layna, you're pregnant. You can't be doin all this reckless shit."

Layna raised her head instinctively off his shoulder even though she couldn't see his face in the darkness.

"Yeah, I'm pregnant. I'm not dying," she shot back.

"I don't want anything to happen to you."

"It's not going to," she murmured as she laid her head back against her shoulder. "I just didn't think, but we're okay. Nothing bad happened and we saved Beth."  
"


	44. Chapter 44

Daryl stayed awake, occasionally looking around them to make sure he didn't see headlights. Although he thought they were far enough away from the farm, he couldn't be sure how far these men would go. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep sitting up anyway. Layna had fallen asleep. Her head was leaning against his shoulder with her body snuggled up against his. He could feel the warmth from her body and the rise and fall with each breath she took. Now that things had calmed down, he replayed what happened in his mind. As far as he was concerned it was Shane's fault. He was the one who had taken Randall out of the barn. Now Shane was dead, Randall had just gotten off the hook, and they were on the run again. And what was all this about everyone being infected? He remembered when Layna had first told him about it. They were standing alone in the kitchen of the farmhouse the first day. He was far more concerned with the fact that Layna was pregnant and he was the only one who knew at that time.

Daryl dozed off. When he woke up, it was morning and Layna was still snuggled up against him. He heard a few voices and turned to see Andrea, Rick, Glenn and Lori emerging from the RV. He sat still, not wanting to disturb Layna. Now that it was daylight, he looked down the desolate road. From where they were, it just looked like it was surrounded by woods. He didn't see any mailboxes indicating that there was a house nearby. He felt Layna move a little and she lifted her head off his shoulder.

"I was hoping it would all have been a nightmare," she grumbled in her sleep filled voice. He looked down at her scratched hands and torn sweater as she stretched and rubbed her face. She groaned and leaned back against the seat.

"What's wrong?" Daryl asked.

"Just a headache," she mumbled as she looked back at him.

Daryl pointed to the glove box. "I think I put some medicine in there from one of the days we were scavengin around."

Layna scooted back over to the passenger side and opened the glove box.

"Did you put all this junk in here?" She asked as she dug through the papers and odds and ends things.

"Naw, they were already in there when me and Merle found it," he stopped when he said Merle's name. He'd tried not to think too much about him. It was just too damn hard.

He watched her pull out a bottle of Aspirin and look down at it in her hands, before she tossed it aside and pulled out a bottle of Tylenol. She popped two of them in her mouth and swallowed them, coughing a little as she did.

"Wish I had some water," she murmured as she rubbed her neck.

Daryl opened his door and climbed out of the truck. He knew they had to find somewhere safe that had enough supplies. Layna didn't need to do without anything. He walked around the truck to where everyone else was congregating by the RV, white truck, and Shane's Hyundai.

* * *

Layna climbed out of the truck and followed Daryl over to where everyone else was standing. She swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the Tylenol pills that were still stuck in her throat.

"I'm going to scout around," Daryl announced, interrupting everyone as he stepped up.

Layna stopped to look at him. "By yourself?"

He nodded back at her.

"Yeah on the bike if I can get some help getting it out of the back of the truck."

"I'm going too. I'll go in the Hyundai," Rick suggested.

Layna saw Lori's looked of disagreement at Rick's suggestion, but no one stopped them.

Layna sat on the tailgate of Daryl's truck as she watched him ride off with Rick in the car behind him. She couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion that she felt. Layna looked over in time to see Beth heading her way. She knew that Daryl was still mad that she'd left the safety of his truck to go after her.

Beth sat down beside her. Her blonde hair was only halfway up in its ponytail now. It fell in wisps around her sad face. Layna knew the pain she must be feeling. Jimmy was shot right in front of her.

"I'm sorry, Beth," Layna murmured, trying to break the painful silence. She was surprised when Beth threw her arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"I can't do this anymore," Beth sobbed. Layna held her tight as everyone else stopped what they were doing to watch Beth's breakdown.

"We're losing everybody," the girl cried. "I don't know how you've dealt with everything you've been through."

Although she was only two years older than Beth, this was one of the times when Layna felt like she was even older. She knew had it not been for Daryl, she probably wouldn't still be alive. Not only had he saved her multiple times, but he gave her the emotional support she needed, even if they weren't always on the same page.

"You just have to keep trying," Layna whispered in Beth's ear. "You have Patricia, your dad, and Maggie. They need you as much as you need them."

She sat quietly as Beth held onto her. She wasn't sure why everyone came to her for advice or support. Even before the walkers, she was constantly giving out advice when she wasn't strong enough to take her own. Here she was, telling this teenage girl to keep trying when she was having a hard time doing it herself.

"Rick and Daryl will come back with a safe place for us to stay in a little while and everything will be alright," Layna said hopefully. She hoped that she wasn't lying.

When Beth finally left her side, Layna decided to walk over to where everyone else was. She had to stop as soon as she stood because her vision went blurry. She gripped the truck as her heart thudded in her chest. She couldn't see anything.

"Layna? Are you okay?" she heard Lori call.

She felt herself losing the grip on the truck as she got dizzy. She couldn't call out for help or sit back on the tailgate.

"Something's wrong!" another voice called out. The last thing she remembered was the panic she felt and arms holding her up.

* * *

Daryl stopped the motorcycle when they came to a fork in the road and motioned for Rick to go one way.

"We'll meet back here when we're done or if we find something," Rick yelled over the roar of the motorcycle.

Daryl nodded and turned down the other road. The skies had become overcast pretty quickly. He let his eyes wander to the trees alongside the road. A few leaves were falling and swirling with the slight breeze. He rode past a few rough looking houses, not bothering with checking them out. They didn't need something like that. They needed something that would keep them safe for a long time and somewhere where Layna could relax. He was worried about her. She'd always been dainty but he was sure he wasn't the only one who noticed her sudden drop in weight. Everyone looked a little thinner but he knew she was supposed to be putting on weight, not losing it. She needed to relax and stop putting herself in danger. He just had to find a sufficient place for that.

He rode for a little longer, trying to enjoy the cool breeze. He knew if he didn't find anything soon, he would have to return anyway. It wasn't safe for the group to stay on the road like sitting ducks. He slowed down when he saw a few nice looking houses coming into view. It was obvious that some of them had been ransacked. By looters, he figured. He was just about to turn around when a tall iron fence caught his eye. It was off the road and far away from all the other houses. He rode up closer to it, noticing that the gate was open. The chain and lock hung uselessly while the gate stood wide open. He could see the house through the small spacing in between the bars. This had to be it. He hurriedly turned the motorcycle around and headed back to meet Rick. He wanted them to do a walkthrough before bringing Layna and the others back.

* * *

Before Layna even opened her eyes she felt the splitting headache. When she did open her eyes, she immediately panicked, throwing blankets off of herself and jumping out of the bed. She realized that she wasn't wearing her jeans, only the oversized t-shirt she'd been wearing.

"Layna calm down."

Layna whirled around to see Daryl jumping up from a chair in the corner of the room.

"Where are we?" Layna stammered as she let Daryl gently push her back onto the bed.

Daryl sat down beside her on the bed as she scanned the room. It was decorated in a monochromatic, brown color scheme with fancy, dark wood furniture. The bed, dresser, and TV stand all matched.

"Just calm down, it's safe here," he murmured. "I found it. It's got a gated fence around it and a big yard. We'll be safe here."

Layna laid back on the pillows, letting her exhaustion overpower her as she listened to Daryl.

"I'm gonna go get you some water," he suggested as he got up.

Layna pulled the blankets back over her bare legs, still feeling groggy and overwhelmed. She was just beginning to remember actually passing out, but she didn't feel sore. The others must have caught her before she hit the hard asphalt, she assumed.

When Daryl came back in the room he wasn't alone. Hershel and Lori followed him in.

"How are you feeling?" Hershel asked first.

"Tired," Layna murmured as she pulled herself up onto the pillows.

"Let me check your blood pressure," Hershel suggested as he held out a blood pressure cuff.

Layna let him slip it onto her arm and start it up. It tightened on her arm, reminding her of the occasional doctor's office checkups when she had her blood pressure checked.

"Where'd you get that thing?" Layna asked softly.

"We found it here," Hershel answered her. "This was a doctor's house. Didn't Daryl tell you?"

Layna shook her head as she looked back to Daryl and Lori.

"This was Dr. Price's house," Lori explained.

"I don't know who that is," Layna murmured.

"Do you remember hearing in the newspaper about the doctor who had his whole house set up with solar panels so that he wouldn't have to pay electric or water bills?" Lori asked.

Layna nodded. She seemed like she remembered hearing something about it.

"Well this is it. Everything runs off solar panels and there's a tall, locked fence around it."

"Well where's the doctor?" Layna asked.

Hershel cleared his throat from beside her as he looked down at the blood pressure machine. "They didn't make it."

Layna looked back down at her arm as Hershel read the numbers aloud. "111/70, I'd say you passed out because it was low. It's climbing back up now." He undid the cuff from her arm and took it away.

Layna took a sip of water as Daryl handed her the glass. Hershel stopped before he stepped out the door. "The ladies are cooking. We'll send the food up to you as soon as it's ready."

Layna nodded and he left the room.

"Why don't you take it easy for a while," Lori said softly. "There's nothing to worry about here. You can just lay back and relax."

Layna nodded. She felt like she could sleep for a few days straight anyway.

When Lori left the room, Daryl came back and sat on the bed.

* * *

"I think I just overdid it," Layna murmured as her eyes met his. Daryl looked away from her, remembering the panic that he and Rick came back too. He thought for sure that something real bad had happened to her.

"Well that ain't gonna happen again," he muttered. "There ain't no reason to overdo it here. Only thing you gotta do is rest."

"Okay," Layna said softly. "Were there walkers in here? I mean did ya'll have to clear the place out first?"

Daryl nodded. "Me and Rick got rid of the old doc and his family. They were wandering around the yard."

"Kids?" Layna asked.

Daryl shook his head. "You don't need to be worryin about it now, just sleep. We'll bring the food when it's ready."

"God, I'm sorry I'm so much trouble," Layna said sadly.

"You ain't."

"If I wasn't then I wouldn't be laid up in this bed with everyone waiting on me hand and foot, or waiting for me to pass out just so they can catch me."

"It ain't your fault," Daryl grumbled. "Just quit apologizing and get some sleep."

"When i get up will you give me a tour of our new fancy house?" she asked with a faint smile.

"You betcha," he murmured as he got up.

_Please Review! The next chapter should be posted soon! It definitely won't be a week's wait like the past few._

_**Oh and By the way, Just as i was about to publish these chapters, the song that i got the title from came on Pandora. Totally Ironic, but anyway i got the title from the song "Over" by Blake Shelton. You should check it out, especially if you like country._


	45. Chapter 45

_Author's Note: I figured I'd go ahead and update. We have a hurricane heading our way and the last time we had one come right through us, we didn't have electricity for 3 weeks. Guess it's just something you have to deal with when you live in southern Mississippi. Anyways Please review and I'll update as soon as I can!_

Layna sat in a rocking chair on the porch, a pillow behind her back and her sore feet propped in another chair. She had come outside with the intent of reading but she was finding her eyes drifting over the book that was propped on her swollen stomach to watch Daryl and Carl sitting under a pine tree. Daryl was showing Carl how to whittle. She looked around the pretty large yard that had become their true safe haven for the last five months. The tall iron fence had been perfected by adding a few more chains with padlocks to the gate and a constant check of the area to make sure there were no local walkers had kept them safe. When Daryl looked up from Carl's work, she glanced back down at her book, pretending to read the words. She saw him getting up out of the corner of her eye.

* * *

Daryl stepped onto the porch, and propped himself on the fancy railing. Layna didn't look up from her book. He watched her blue eyes scan the pages before he looked down at her stomach. It had gotten so big that she had to prop her book on top of it.

"You haven't read every book in that little library yet?" he asked.

Her eyes met his as she looked at him over the top of the book.

"No, not yet," she said with a smile.

"Every time I see you with a book, it seems like a different one."

She closed the book and laid it aside. Her hand automatically fell over her stomach.

"Did you come up with anything yet?" Layna asked hopefully.

Daryl shook his head as he diverted his gaze back out into the yard where Carl was still sitting under the pine tree.

"Aw C'mon Daryl, you should be able to come up with at least one name."

"Well did you come up with one yet?" he asked.

"You know the rules," Layna smirked. "You come up with the boy name, I come up with the girl name. I'm not gonna tell you what I picked until you tell me what you picked."

"You know I ain't good at stuff like that."

"We don't have that much time left, you know," Layna said softly, making the nervous feeling hit him again.

"Well tell me what you picked and I'll tell you what I picked," he suggested.

Layna smiled back at him. "Okay, but you gotta be honest with me. Tell me if you like it okay?" she asked nervously.

He nodded as he awaited her answer.

"Okay well I was thinking, I like the name Gracie. And for a middle name, I like Faith. I don't even know if middle names are important anymore but yeah," she bit her bottom lip as she anxiously looked back at him. "What do you think?"

"I like it," he blurted out quickly.

"Really?" she asked.

He nodded as he watched her look back down at her stomach.

"Now what'd you pick?"

"Hunter," he answered her quickly.

"I like it," she smiled back at him, surprising him. "But I've gotta ask. Does it have anything to do with the fact that you like hunting?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, maybe, but I just liked that name."

"I like it too," Layna said with a smile.

"I think it'll be a girl, though," he said softly. He hoped it would be. He could imagine a little girl named Gracie running around before he could another Dixon.

He was glad that she wasn't as depressed as she was to begin with. She seemed to be the best at accepting it when she started to show. But accepting it was about all she could do, he figured. He felt like he was having an even harder time than she was. Watching her stomach grow was slowly killing him. His guilt haunted him everyday, especially recently when she'd gotten even sicker. She wasn't sleeping and constantly complained with aches and pains. Hershel tried his best to keep her on bed rest, but she was stubborn. He couldn't help that he was worried about her and mad at himself. It wasn't fair that something so horrible happened to her. She was the only person he'd ever let himself get this close too. Nobody else had ever cared about him as much as she did. He'd let his brother mess everything up once again. If he would have just stood up to his brother who had put down on him and picked on him his whole life then Layna wouldn't be in this mess.

* * *

Layna watched Daryl look back out into the yard. She hated to see him act the way he did. Although he'd been supportive the whole way, she hated letting him take on the role he had. He was constantly jumping at the chance to do this for her or to do that. She knew how bad it hurt him just having a conversation about the baby. Soon it would be here and she wasn't sure how he would react. She wasn't even sure how she would react. When she'd begun to show, she felt heartbroken and ashamed, but her feelings slowly changed. The first time she felt the baby move, something changed. At first it scared her, but those feelings were automatically overtaken by an unfamiliar feeling. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before. The feeling that there was something alive inside of her was overwhelming. Maybe it was motherly instincts but she knew it was part of her. It deserved the best it could get. It needed to be protected and although it was a bit unnerving, she knew she was supposed to be the protector. She was pretty sure that Daryl would be too, she hoped he would anyway. She didn't want it to be treated differently because of what happened to her. Most of all, she didn't want Daryl to treat it differently, but she had faith in him. At first glance, she never assumed that he would be a fan of kids, but he had grown closer to Carl and Sophia both since they'd been staying in the doctor's house.

As the days passed she was feeling more and more uncomfortable and anxious. Not only about the actual delivery but about seeing the baby. If it looked like Merle, how would everyone react? That was one of the biggest things she worried about. Lori and Carol continued to assure her that if at any time she needed help, they would help, but she was afraid she would feel even more guilty. She knew was causing an awful lot of trouble.

"Are you okay?" Layna finally asked Daryl.

He nodded back at her and stepped off the porch as Carol came out of the house. He headed back toward Carl who was still sitting in the grass.

Layna looked back down at her stomach as she rubbed her fingers along her stretched t-shirt.

"You've got that glow," Carol's gentle voice said.

Carol sat down in the rocking chair beside her as she smiled.

Layna saw Daryl glance back before he sat back in the grass.

"Well, I don't really feel like I'm glowing."

"You're one of those people who look beautiful when they're pregnant," Carol continued.

Layna smiled back.

"I'm not gonna be too beautiful when I can't lose this baby weight."

"Layna, you won't have to worry about that. As soon as that baby is born, they're won't be anything left. Anybody would kill to have your figure and you know it."

Layna repositioned the pillow behind her back, wincing as she leaned her sore back against it.

"What about stretch marks?" Layna asked. "Do they just magically disappear too?"

"Well that depends," Carol murmured. "They can fade a little."

"I remember I was given a poem about stretch marks when Sophia was born," She explained as she looked out into the yard.

"A stretch mark poem?" Layna forced a laugh. "I'm sure that was lovely."

"It really was," Carol murmured. "Oh I wish I could remember it."

Layna looked back out at Daryl and Carl.

"I remember it said something about they were a mark for every breath you took….every yawn, smile, and every time you opened your eyes."

Layna watched Carol as she recited bits and pieces of the poem.

"Every dream you dreamed while you were inside me. A safe place that held you until my arms could."

Layna felt the baby move again. She was almost positive that it was a foot that was now pressing against her palm.

"I can't remember the rest," Carol said softly.

Layna let the words sink in and swallowed hard when she felt her eyes tearing up. How could she have hated something so innocent and helpless for so long?

"I didn't mean to make you cry," Carol whimpered as she leaned in to hug her.

Layna let Carol hug her, letting a few tears slip.

"I hate being all emotional," Layna muttered.

"It goes with pregnancy, honey."

"We picked names," Layna finally murmured as she pulled away from Carol and wiped her eyes.

"Oh what are they? Wait have you told your sister yet?"

"No," Layna whispered. "It'll be our secret. I'll tell her later."

"If it's a girl, she'll be Gracie with Faith as a middle name, and if it's a boy he'll be Hunter. Daryl didn't pick a middle name yet. I don't even know if they're important anymore."

"They're beautiful,'" Carol crooned. "What about a last name?"

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it," she lied.

Carol must have noticed her hesitation because she apologized immediately.

"I'm sorry I was just wondering if you would go with yours or with Daryl's."

Layna frowned. Sure it was Daryl's last name, but it was Merle's too and Something about that felt wrong. She didn't understand how two brothers could be so different, but she was glad they were. She knew that this wasn't going to get any easier. The pain didn't go away, more complexity was just added to it.

"Don't worry about it Layna, it isn't that big of a deal," Carol continued.

Layna faked a smile back. "I know."

She eased herself out of the rocking chair and Carol hopped up to help her. That was one of Layna's biggest frustrations. Everyone acted like she was so fragile that she would break. She'd found that it was pretty hard to make a quick escape from an uncomfortable conversation.

* * *

Daryl pulled up a green blade of grass with his fingers as he strained to listen to Carol and Layna talking on the porch. He hadn't realized that she was considering giving the baby his last name. Sure, they had both pretty much professed their love to each other and he had told her he would be there for her and the baby. Maybe that was best. If he could step up and pretend it was his own, it might save a lot of hurt for Layna. The only question was could he. She was the most important thing in his life now. If dealing with tough stuff himself kept it from falling on her shoulders alone, he was willing.

"Hey Daryl, I think I finally got it," Carl said excitedly as he held out what he'd been whittling.

Daryl looked back at him.

"Guess what it is," the boy said excitedly.

Daryl eyed the thick stick for a minute, trying to decide what it was.

"A banana?" he asked.

"It ain't a banana," Carl grumbled as he tossed it onto the ground. "It was a canoe. I suck at this."

"Sorry kid," Daryl said as he tried to hold back a laugh. He hadn't meant to rain on his parade.

"You shoulda seen some of the first stuff I made. It didn't look like nothin. At least yours looked like somethin."

Carl slipped the knife Shane had given him back in his pocket. Daryl remembered when he came up to him the first day or so in camp and showed it to him. He'd shooed the kid off, hadn't even gave him the time of day. He wasn't sure what changed, but he didn't find him quite as annoying.

"I'll be back," Daryl said as he climbed to his feet.

"Goin to check on Aunt Layna?"

Daryl nodded and walked toward the porch. He stepped into the house, and peeked in the living room, first, knowing that if she wasn't in there then she was back in their room. Carol was dusting the fancy living room. He'd noticed that she cleaned when she was nervous, and they were all sitting on pins and needles worrying about Layna.

"Lookin for Layna?" She asked softly.

Daryl nodded. "She layin down?"

"I think. Hershel and Patricia are talking to her though. She's complaining about her back hurting pretty bad again."

Daryl headed down the hall and to their bedroom, passing by the exquisite but seemingly out of place decorations. The house was by far the fanciest he'd been in. It had three floors counting the attic. He and Layna slept on the ground floor so that she wouldn't have to climb the stairs. As he turned down the hallway, Hershel and Patricia came out of the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind them.

"Is she okay?" Daryl asked nervously.

"She is right now," Hershel whispered as he motioned for Daryl to follow him out of the hall. "She needs to stay in bed. I don't think she is having premature labor pains, but I can't be sure. Plenty of bed rest can reduce the risk of her delivering the baby prematurely."

Patricia nodded in agreement. "And stressin, she needs to calm down. This bed rest could be the difference in her delivering a premature baby or a perfectly healthy one. The odds will be better the longer she can hold out."

* * *

Layna laid her hand back on her stomach. The baby was moving again.

"You're just never still anymore are you?" Layna whispered, speaking out loud to the baby for the first time. Lori had told her you were supposed to talk to them. She said it was good for them.

"I wish I knew if you were a boy or a girl," she continued, realizing that the more she spoke, the easier it became.

When the baby stopped moving, she leaned back against the pillows. From what she'd understood from Hershel, it was critical for her to stay in bed and relax from here on out. She was a little scared that she was going to be having this baby in a house, without advanced medical equipment. Hell, she knew that she'd be scared even if she was in a hospital.

Layna turned when she heard the door open. Daryl stepped in and shut it back behind him.

"Came to keep you company, seein as to you're stuck here all by yourself."

Layna forced a smile as he gently climbed onto the bed beside her and laid against the pillows. She looked down at the hole in the knee of his jeans. Holes and ripped sleeves were almost like his signature style while oversized sweatpants and t-shirts quickly became hers.

"Hurtin again?"

Layna nodded. "It ain't helping that this baby moves around like a kick boxer either."

"Is it movin now?" he asked.

"No, it stopped, you've still gotta feel it move though. It's crazy."

"I heard you and Carol talkin," Daryl said softly. "About last names that is."

Layna bit down on her bottom lip.

"You can give it my last name. You know I told you I was gonna be there for both of you. I..I mean I know I'm kinda flaky sometimes but I'm just figurin this out as I go ya know?"

Layna stared back at him as he continued.

"It's up to you though."

"I don't know if I can do that," Layna murmured as she tried to hold back her tears. "It's not about you, I just…as stupid as it sounds, I don't think it's right for the baby to have his last name."

Layna wiped her eyes and looked back at him.

"But i mean it is your last name too," she murmured as she argued with herself. "I want it to have yours, but..."

Layna looked away from him, automatically feeling ashamed that she even said it. She wasn't sure where these feelings had even come from. A name was a name. Why did it bother her so much? Did she think that she'd be protecting the baby from the truth by taking away it's real last name?

"Just calm down, it's alright. Last names ain't even all that important right now. Might never be again," he assured her. "You ain't supposed to be stressin over something as simple as a name."

Layna let him tilt her chin back toward him. He pressed his warm lips against hers, kissing her gently.

"But he is gone now," Layna murmured as they pulled away.

"Just don't worry about all that right now," Daryl said softly. "There are other things around to worry about that are a hundred times more important than a last name. I don't blame you for thinkin about it that way."

Layna nodded, although she still felt bad.

"But that isn't the only thing I'm worried about. It's dangerous everywhere now," she murmured.

"It ain't dangerous right here, not while I'm here. Ain't nothin gonna happen to either one of you."

"This baby isn't going to have an easy childhood though. I was so lucky to grow up the way I did," Layna murmured as she reminisced. "Life was so simple. I remember roaming through the fields and woods around our house. I played in the little creeks, catching crawfish and playing with baby calves…What does this baby have to look forward to? Staying locked in this yard and dealing with things a kid shouldn't even have to worry about?"

"It'll all work out, Layna. You've been through so much shit already. I think we can handle a kid. The way I see it anyway, it ain't starting out with as much of a disadvantage as you think it is."

"What do you mean?" Layna asked.

"It has you. It's already so damn lucky and it don't even know it yet."

_Reviews would be pretty great. Thanks to everyone who keeps taking the time to review!_


	46. Chapter 46

Daryl unlocked the padlocks and slipped the keys back in his pocket. The sun would be setting soon, but he needed a walk. As he shut the gate behind him he checked the padlocks and then started walking down the driveway. He was beginning to feel trapped staying in the house and yard all the time. Layna was asleep when he left, which was rare. She hadn't been sleeping much at all as she neared her last few weeks. Hershel checked up on her regularly, seeming to be right about bed rest. The only thing that had progressively gotten worse since she'd began staying in bed was her restlessness. It was hard to sit in the room with her as he stared at all of the baby supplies that were now stacked around the room. He, Hershel, Rick, Lori and sometimes Maggie and Glen had taken turns going out to get supplies that would be needed for her and the baby. Reality really set in as he stared at the tiny baby clothes, socks, and diapers. Thanks to Hershel and Patricia, they had everything planned out, even had supplies ready for when she went in to labor. They had clean sheets, washrags, towels and plastic shower curtains just sitting and waiting for the time.

He was dreading seeing her in pain. Hershel had sat down earlier with Layna when he happened to be in there. Layna had intertwined her fingers with his as Hershel walked her through everything that was going to happen. Hershel was planning for an unmedicated birth. He explained that he didn't want to risk complications with any painkillers. He wasn't experienced in childbirth and wasn't sure of which medicines were safe. Hershel's "Pep talk" did nothing but stress him out even further. Even earlier, he'd gotten pulled into a talk that Hershel was giving to Lori and Rick about her. As Hershel talked about possible risks and the dangers, he understood why Hershel hadn't said it in front of Layna. There was a certain degree of danger since there was no way to tell how her pregnancy was really going. Would the baby be healthy? Would there be complications? There was always a possibility. For the first time, a series of mind torturing thoughts ran through his mind. What if he lost her? Childbirth wasn't exactly simple procedure that always happened the same way or followed the same rules. He'd heard of mothers dying in the hospitals with doctors by their sides. Layna was far from being in a controlled situation like a hospital.

Daryl decided to walk around the fence that had already proved to be effective at keeping walkers out to make sure everything was in order. He couldn't imagine what they would be doing if they hadn't found this place. With the solar panels, they had all the water and electricity they needed. He wondered if the other group was staying at the farm. From time to time, he'd thought about going to see but always decided against it. They actually had it even better than they did at the farm and he didn't want to risk bringing them back with him on accident. A few raindrops began falling from the darkening sky, splattering on his dirty boots. He scanned the area one last time before making his way back to the gate.

He locked the gate back behind him and walked back up to the house. Stepping in, he realized that most everyone had already settled in their rooms for the night. He heard a low rumble of thunder as he shut the door behind him. He pulled off his dirty boots and left them by the door before stepping onto the white carpet and heading off to take a shower in the bathroom that adjoined to his and Layna's bedroom.

The only light on in the bedroom came from a dim lamp in the corner of the room. He glanced at Layna who was curled up, faced away from him before he snuck into the small bathroom.

Daryl carefully opened the bathroom door again and turned off the light, as he stepped out of the bathroom, still humid from his shower. He eased into the bed and under the covers, trying not to wake Layna as he did. He jumped up as soon as he touched the bed.

* * *

"Layna?" Daryl's voice shook her from her dreams.

"What is it?" Layna asked as she sat up quickly, realizing that the light was now on.

Daryl left the light switch and walked over to jerk the covers off the bed.

"What the..?" Layna trailed off as she felt the bed.

"What's goin on?" Daryl asked nervously. "Are you okay?"

Layna felt the bed.

"I did not just wet the bed," Layna murmured. "Did I?" She still felt groggy, almost confused from her deep sleep.

"Oh my God," she stammered. "Did my water break?"

"I'll go get Hershel," Daryl exclaimed as he reached for the door.

"No, wait," Layna said quickly. "I don't feel anything. I don't know if it did or not."

Her eyes met his. He was standing frozen in the doorway.

"I'm just gonna go fuckin get him."

Layna looked back at the bed as he disappeared into the hallway. She could feel the panic rising in her throat. If her water broke then that meant the baby was coming soon.

* * *

"Is she having contractions?" Hershel asked as he led the way back to the bedroom.

"She said she didn't feel anything," Daryl answered quickly.

"Layna?" Hershel called out as he stepped into the bedroom.

Daryl's eyes fell on the closed bathroom door.

"I'll be out in a minute," she called out quickly.

When she came out, she looked nervous.

"I think my water did break, but I don't really feel any different," she murmured.

"Well, Maybe it would be a good idea to walk around a little. I've often heard that it helps the baby move into position. Maybe it'll kick start those contractions," Hershel suggested as Layna walked back over to the bed.

"How long do you think it'll take?" Layna asked nervously.

Hershel shook his head. "It's up to this baby now." He reached over and grabbed his stethoscope. "Why don't you lay back and let me listen real quick."

Daryl quickly propped up the pillows as she leaned back on the bed.

Hershel raised her shirt, and moved his hands along her stomach first, then placed the stethoscope on it.

Daryl watched the determination on Hershel's face as he listened for a heartbeat. Layna stared up at the ceiling and breathed a sigh of relief as Hershel finally spoke. "It sounds good."

"Mind if I examine you again?" Hershel asked as he hung the stethoscope around his neck and headed for the sink in the bathroom to wash his hands.

"I'll go let your sister know what's goin on," Daryl muttered, using it more as an excuse than anything.

* * *

"You don't have to stay in here if you don't want to you know," Layna said softly when Hershel and Lori left the room. "I mean I don't blame you if you don't want to."

She looked over at Daryl as he pulled a chair from the corner of the room over to the bed.

"Still don't feel nothin?" he asked as he sat down.

Layna shook her head. "Well I don't know, it feels kind of weird, like my stomach feels really tight. Tighter than usual, but that might be because I'm so freakin nervous."

She trailed off as she heard a rumble of thunder.

"At least the lights won't go out," she said softly.

"Yeah, I reckon that's the good thing about these solar panels."

"They must soak up a lot of energy," she said as she tried to keep the conversation going. "Even when it's cloudy we still have everything we need." She couldn't believe she was talking about solar panels when she was about to have a baby.

"I guess so," he said quickly.

She knew he would rather talk about that, and she needed to talk.

* * *

Daryl watched the clock on the wall as it slowly ticked on. Hershel and Lori checked in every few minutes but it was mainly just Layna and him, sitting in silence. It was ten o clock now, at least two hours now since her water had broken and she was beginning to look more and more uncomfortable.

"I feel like I'm having cramps now," she murmured, pulling his attention away from the clock.

"Daryl?"

Daryl jerked his head up, surprised that he had even fallen asleep after Layna's news of her progressing symptoms.

Layna was standing on the other side of the bed, hunched over a little. Daryl jumped up, as she placed her hands on her hips, hunching over even more.

"They're worse," she whimpered. He quickly looked at the clock. It was almost one thirty.

* * *

"I can't sit," Layna cried out as she latched tighter on Daryl's arm. He felt her grip tighten as a contraction tensed rippled through her body.

"Layna, you need to lay down now," Lori said sternly as she reached out to her.

"It hurts too bad," Layna cried. "Just let me stand up right now," she pleaded. "Please."

Daryl stood still, helpless in a way as he let Layna hold onto him for support.

"Layna, it would be safer if you would lay down," Hershel tried to reason with her. "We don't need you to deliver this baby on the floor."

"I can't do it," she whined. "It hurts worse when I lay down."

Daryl looked back at Hershel, Patricia, and Lori's frustrated expressions as they looked over at him. He took the hint.

"Layna, Please just lay down so Hershel can check you out," he tried to break through to her.

Layna looked back up at him, her brown hair was falling out of the bun that it had been messily tossed in. She let out a soft cry and moved toward the bed.

"Just focus on breathing and thinking about the baby," Patricia suggested. What were the names again?"

"Hunter Andrew or Gracie Faith," Layna said breathily. Daryl knew that she had just recently decided on Andrew for the other middle name.

Daryl stood helplessly as she suffered through the pain of bringing Merle's baby into the world. He stepped away as Lori squatted down beside the bed, talking quietly to Layna.

"Just breathe through it sweetie, soon it'll all be over."

He turned and quickly walked out of the room, leaving Rick, Hershel, Patricia, and Lori to tend to Layna. It was too intense, too much to deal with at once. All of the emotions hit him like a ton of bricks. He pushed past Carol, Maggie, Glen, and Andrea who were standing just outside the bedroom doorway. They all stopped to looked at him as he walked into the living room.

"Hey, Daryl, wait," Rick called from behind him. "What are you doing?"

Daryl whirled around. "What do you mean what am I doing? That ain't even my kid! She said she didn't care if I stayed in there or not!" Daryl blurted it out quickly and sharply, almost regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth.

"You love Layna though," Rick argued. "She needs you whether she said she did or not. Look at her in there."

Daryl looked passed Rick at everyone else's worried expressions as they stared at him.

"Daryl listen, I'm not saying you have to be a father. Nobody did. I'm just saying you'll regret not being in there for her."

* * *

Layna gripped the sheets tightly as another contraction tensed through her body. She couldn't remember how long Hershel had said was between them now, but she felt like there was no time. It felt like one came right after another, barely giving her time to ready herself for the next one. She stifled a cry of pain. Childbirth was always something she just planned on skipping out on. She imagined herself adopting a baby, maybe one from another country. One of those who didn't have anybody to care for them already. She definitely would have never guessed that she would be giving birth in a house during a zombie apocalypse. She wished her parents could be with her. Lori tried her best to be comforting but truthfully, Layna only found her to be annoying, saying the same things over and over again that didn't help anything.

"I'm not seeing much progression," Hershel announced after checking her once again, "What time is it?"

"A little after Three," Patricia answered him.

"I can't do this anymore," Layna cried out as another wave of excruciating pain hit her. "I just want it out!" She didn't think that labor lasted as long as it did. It was nearly morning, and she had expected it to be over by now.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to imagine herself in another place, like a warm sunny day in her childhood, but even that couldn't take the place of the fear and pain she felt.

Layna snapped her eyes open as she suddenly thought about Daryl. He wasn't in the room anymore. She felt a pang of sadness, but remembered telling him she didn't care if he stayed or not. She wanted him to be with her, she'd only said it for him. The last thing she wanted to do was to pressure him into staying when he didn't want too.

Layna laid through what seemed like hours, waiting for Hershel to tell her to push.

"I think I need to push," Layna finally blurted out nervously, resulting in an argument over the actual need to push or if she was only saying it between her and Lori.

"Okay focus on your breathing," Hershel ordered gently. "And when Patricia counts to three I want you to try and push then okay?"

Layna started to cry as she closed her eyes again. She felt hands on her legs, keeping them open.

Her nails dug into the mattress as she awaited Patricia to start counting.

She opened her eyes when she felt a strong hand slip over hers. Her eyes met Daryl's as he wrapped his hand around hers. She wanted to ask him what he was doing or why he had changed his mind, but instead she focused immediately on Patricia who had started counting.

* * *

Layna gripped his hand tightly as she pushed. He felt like he wasn't even there. Everything happened so quickly when it finally started happening. It all seemed to blur together.

"We have a baby girl!" Hershel announced.

"A Gracie Faith," Lori said happily.

He let go of Layna's hand immediately when Patricia laid a wet, pink baby on Layna's chest.

"There's your momma," the woman said cheerfully as she did. Layna seemed nearly as surprised as him for a brief second upon seeing the baby. She desperately clutched the baby to her chest, holding onto it like it was all she had. The baby let out a few cries and Layna did too. Daryl unknowingly took a few steps back and felt a hand on his shoulder. When he turned, Rick lowered his hand.

* * *

Layna wrapped her arms around the squirming baby Patricia had just thrust at her. A momma? Patricia's words hit her like a glass of ice water, awakening her to something she'd thought she'd already accepted. This baby was hers. It was her daughter, something innocent and precious, amidst all of the evil left in the world. She was perfect and Layna loved her already. Layna cried, maybe of relief that it was finally over, as she stared into Gracie's face. She immediately forgot about all of the pain.

"We're gonna go get her cleaned up real quick for you okay?" Patricia asked softly as she reached back for her. "We'll bring her right back."

Layna let her take her away and weakly laid back against the pillows. Sweat made her oversized t-shirt stick to her back uncomfortably, but none of that seemed to matter anymore. Everyone's voices seemed to blend together as they spoke with excited voices about the baby. Layna felt a sudden pang of fear. The world was so dangerous. She only wanted Gracie back in her arms. She felt tears stinging her eyes again. How could something so beautiful come from such a horrible act? She didn't care anymore, all she cared about was keeping her daughter safe from all the horrors out in the world now.

Everyone left the room as Hershel helped her birth the afterbirth. She was so exhausted that she barely even knew what was going on anymore.

As promised, Gracie was brought back to her pretty quickly. Lori carried her in, bundled in a pink, plush baby blanket.

Layna smiled weakly as she carried her over to her.

"Here's your momma again," Lori gently passed Gracie over to her, and sat down beside her.

"She's so beautiful, Layna."

"She really is," Layna said softly as she stared down at her daughter's face. Gracie opened her eyes as Layna reached out and stroked her soft cheek with the tip of her finger.

"Where's Daryl?" she asked desperately, as she suddenly thought about him.

"He's out there, with everybody else," Lori answered her quickly.

"Can you tell him to come in here?" Layna couldn't believe that she'd forgotten about him for just a short while.

"Not right now," Lori murmured. "You're about to figure out how to breastfeed. We'll let him in in a little while."

* * *

Daryl stood in the corner of the living room as everyone talked excitedly about the newest member of the group. He nervously chewed on his thumbnail as he paced.

"I think you can all wait until Layna is well rested before you all meet Gracie," Hershel suggested. "Everything went good. Thank God. I think we could all use some rest."

Daryl looked at a clock on the living room wall. It was six in the morning. She'd been in labor practically all night long. Layna was a momma now, and in all reality he was an uncle. He couldn't stop thinking about Merle. Was he always going to come to his mind when he looked at that baby?

"Daryl?" Lori's voice interrupted him from his thoughts. "You can go see her if you want. She won't quit asking for you."

Everyone looked over at him like they were waiting to see if he would even go or not.

He brushed passed Lori and headed for the bedroom.

When he pushed open the door, Layna looked up from the pink bundle in her arms. She looked exhausted.

"I wondered where you went," she said softly.

"I didn't wanna be in the way," he murmured as he shut the door back behind him.

He could feel his heart beating in his chest as his feet carried him to her bedside.

"Did you see her?"

He nodded. "Kind of."

Layna repositioned the bundle in her arms so that he could see her face.

He felt his breath catch in his throat.

"Do you wanna hold her?"

Daryl shook his head quickly. "No, I mean I don't know how too… just not right now."

"That's fine," Layna blurted out quickly as she looked back down, almost as if she was trying not to offend him.

Layna rubbed her finger in Gracie's opened palm, and the baby's fingers closed around hers.

"She's real pretty," Daryl murmured. "Like you."

Layna smiled back at him.

"It feels different than I thought it would. I thought I'd be upset but I'm not," she murmured.

Daryl looked back down at Gracie. He was glad that she looked like Layna. He hadn't had a doubt that if she was a girl she wouldn't look like Layna. He'd been more worried that if she'd been a boy she would have looked like Merle. Looking at her definitely struck a nerve in him, but he couldn't quite figure it out. It was hard to look at Gracie and think that Merle was her father, but it was obvious that she was Layna's. Seeing and hearing Layna's positivity seemed to help his uneasy feeling a little too.

"I feel like this is a new beginning in my life. I love her already," Layna said softly. "And I love you."

Gracie's eyes opened as Layna spoke. Her dark blue ones matched Layna's almost exactly.

"She even has your eyes," he murmured, as he looked down at the content baby, almost feeling mesmerized.

"A baby's eyes usually change colors Daryl. I think they're almost all born with blue eyes."

"Well yours didn't change," he concluded as he looked back into hers.

_Please review! I was beginning to think I'd taken on a bit too much with the whole pregnancy thing and birth scene. I've never had a kid, I'm only a teenager so I did a good bit of research. Pretty please let me know what you think?_


	47. Chapter 47

Layna laid down beside the snoozing newborn on the bed. Everyone had left her to rest with Gracie and went to bed themselves when morning came. Everyone seemed exhausted after the night full of excitement. She could see a little light coming through the crack in the curtains and knew that it was probably late in the day by now. She'd slept a little at a time, awakened every time Gracie moved or fussed, realizing just how demanding newborns were. As sleepy as she still was, she couldn't take her eyes away from Gracie. She was so perfect that it stole her breath away. Her little eyes fluttered a little in her sleep, as she clenched her tiny hands into fists. Layna imagined that she was probably dreaming. Her mom had always told her that babies dreamed of angels. Her mom had always loved babies. She'd been simply ecstatic when Carl had been born. He was her first and only grandchild, the only one she'd gotten the chance to meet. Layna only wished that Gracie could have been lucky enough to meet her. She would be showered with kisses and gifts on a regular basis.

* * *

Daryl sat up on the couch as other members of the house began moving around. He looked at the clock on the wall as he stretched. It was 4:00 P.M. He saw Hershel, and Lori make a bee line to Layna's room. He found himself thinking about Gracie the whole time he tried to sleep. The connection between her and Layna had surprised him. He didn't understand why it was bothering him. Maybe it was because Layna was feeling a connection with something other than him, a connection stronger than theirs. He didn't feel like even if he pretended, he would feel as strong of a connection with Gracie. She wasn't his. It was strange to fit the word jealous in the situation. Was he jealous that it was Merle's kid and not his? Was he really jealous that Merle was the one who had gotten her pregnant?

"Hey Daryl,"

Daryl looked up as Carol walked into the living room.

"How is she?"

"She's alright I guess," Daryl answered her quickly as he rubbed his eyes.

"She's strong, I knew she would be. But how are you?" Carol pressed on.

"What do you mean how am I? I didn't go through what she went through," Daryl snapped.

"I know you're going through it with her," Carol murmured. "I know it's gotta be hard for you."

Daryl glared back at her.

"Come with me to go see the baby," Carol suggested.

"I've already seen her. You can go yourself."

"Layna would probably be happy to see you too, ya know."

* * *

Layna fixed her shirt when Gracie stopped sucking and fell asleep. She laid back and kept her laying across her chest, feeling her head right beneath her chin. Breastfeeding was proving to be much more different than she imagined but she assumed that it was the best way to handle Gracie's feedings, especially in their situation. She rubbed her fingers along the soft material of Gracie's shirt, feeling completely content. She was getting a little worried about her and Daryl. He hadn't come around much since she'd been born, but she couldn't be sure if he was upset or if he was just giving her space. He drove her crazy sometimes, with his standoffishness. It was difficult to understand how he was feeling. Expressing his feelings weren't exactly his forte. She'd thought that was her weak point until she'd grown closer to him, realizing that he made her look like a pro.

Layna looked up when she heard the door creak open.

"Hey Layna, mind if we see her?" Carol asked softly as she pushed the door open.

Layna noticed Daryl behind her and sat up immediately, cradling Gracie in her arms.

"Sure."

Carol walked over and sat on the edge of the bed as she looked down at Gracie who was still fast asleep.

"She's beautiful."

Layna could feel a smile forming on her face again.

"Do you wanna hold her?"

"Oh I don't wanna wake her up," Carol whispered. "She needs her rest, just like you do."

Layna stole a glance at Daryl who was standing awkwardly behind Carol.

"Sophia and Carl were so excited that they could barely stand it," Carol said with a laugh. "But we told them they had to wait until you and Gracie rested."

* * *

Daryl took a seat in the chair by the bed as he watched Carol talk to Layna about Gracie. He noticed how every time Layna looked down at the sleeping baby, a smile came across her face.

He listened to Carol talk a little longer before she finally told Layna she would let her get back to resting. He was pretty sure she'd dragged him in on purpose to leave him and Layna alone to talk.

As soon as Carol shut the door, Layna turned her attention to him immediately.

"Come sit with me?" she asked softly.

Daryl got up and slowly walked over to the bed, stopping beside it.

* * *

Layna tried to read his expression as he looked down at Gracie. She wished she knew what he was thinking. He was sending off confusing vibes.

"Daryl, please tell me what you're feeling," Layna said softly.

Daryl shrugged. "I ain't feelin nothin."

"I don't want you to resent her."

"I don't," he said defensively.

"I want you to love her as much as I do."

Daryl stepped back away from the bed and turned to look out the window.

"Please talk to me," she begged.

She stared at him, waiting for him to say something, anything, as he stared out the window.

"It just feels weird, Layna. It's like you and Merle are connected closer than you and me are," Daryl finally muttered.

"But Merle's dead," Layna said softly.

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Just because you aren't biologically her dad doesn't mean anything, Daryl. Is that what's bothering you?"

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to be as close to her as you are," he confessed as his expression turned pained.

Layna could tell that he was having a hard time.

"You can, Daryl. She needs both of us willing to protect her. Think about all of those sickos and walkers out there."

"Nothin'll happen to her as long as we're both here Layna, but I really ain't her dad. As much as I wish I was, I ain't."

"Daryl…" Layna murmured as she looked back down at Gracie. "A dad isn't someone who makes a baby, they're the ones who take the time to love it and take care of it. Besides, she doesn't know you're not her dad."

Daryl chewed on his bottom lip as he stared back at her.

"Would you rather her know that she has an out of control rapist as a dad or someone like you? Someone who actually loves me and her?" Layna asked as she felt her eyes welling with tears.

She felt a few slip before she could wipe them away. They landed on Gracie's blanket, leaving a few tiny wet spots.

"Layna," Daryl said desperately. " I don't know what I'm supposed to do?"

"Just be here for her and me, like you promised you would. But just remember what I said. As far as I'm concerned, she's yours. I want her to grow up with somebody like you in her life. She deserves it."

* * *

Daryl stood frozen in place as Layna started to cry. He hated himself so much for constantly letting them drift away from each other. Why did he always back away when she needed him most? She was always there for him, always giving him the space he needed whenever it was all too much. What she was asking of him seemed so simple after everything she'd been through. She wasn't even thinking about herself, she was thinking about Gracie, and she thought high enough of him that she wanted him in both of their lives. It was true, he wouldn't want Gracie knowing about Merle or what had happened.

"Layna," he murmured. "I'm gonna keep my promise. You ain't gotta worry about it."


	48. Chapter 48

Layna stepped in front of the dresser mirror as she pulled her hair out of its messy bun. It splayed onto her shoulders, in the kind of waves that she always worked hard to get on those mornings before school. She thought it was funny that it came automatically now, probably because she wasn't fussing with it and trying to make it perfect. It usually stayed pulled up in a bun or ponytail, only coming down when she took a shower. Motherhood was much more tiring that she imagined, but she felt lucky and thankful to have everyone in the group by her side. She felt like Gracie had a huge, caring family.

Layna took a quick glance at her stomach. It had been five weeks since Gracie was born and she felt lucky that her body seemed to be back to normal, minus a few stretch marks and her swollen breasts. She glanced back to Gracie who was sleeping on the bed. The poor baby had her days and nights confused, wanting to stay awake all night and keep her and Daryl up with her.

Layna stepped out on the porch. It was a beautiful morning, with a slight breeze that she could feel gently blowing her hair. Gracie groaned and grunted her usual protests as the bright sun hit her eyes. She heard the gate clank and noticed Daryl locking it back behind him. He looked up and met her eyes, turning to say something to Rick before heading toward them. He stepped onto the porch and walked behind her.

"I like your hair like this," He whispered in her ear as he leaned in between her and Gracie to kissed her neck. He breathed out a little, making Layna smile and pull away from him.

"You know that tickles," she smiled.

"Gracie finally decided to wake up," she said as she noticed Daryl stop to look at the baby.

She was beginning to see little changes in his attitude toward her. Although he hadn't actually held her yet, she'd caught him saying little things to her or reaching out to touch her hands. She had complete trust in him that he meant what he said. He was trying, and she had a feeling that it was coming easier to him than he thought it would.

"She'll be back asleep in a little while, gettin ready to keep us up tonight though," he said.

Layna laughed.

"You aren't gonna do that to us are you?" She asked as she leaned in to kiss Gracie's cheek.

"I like your shirt too," Daryl said with a smirk.

"I figured you would," Layna said teasingly. It was a layered shirt with a few buttons near the top she'd left unbuttoned, definitely different than her baggy t-shirts.

"They're not gonna stay like this forever," Layna said with a laugh as she noticed him staring at her chest.

"So I guess I should be enjoying em while I can right?"

"Wow, Daryl," Glen muttered as he walked past them and down the steps.

Layna giggled.

"Shut the hell up, Glen," Daryl muttered.

"I can just feel the love around here," Layna said with a smile.

"You don't even look like you were pregnant," Daryl said as he propped himself against the post of the porch.

"Well, I'm glad."

Layna turned back toward the gate at the sound of gravel crunching.

"Who's that?"

Daryl's hand fell on the pistol hanging out of his pocket as he stepped off the porch.

Layna held Gracie closer to her chest as she felt her heart flutter. They hadn't ran into any other groups since their run in when they lost the farm.

Layna swallowed hard when a green jeep pulled up to it.

"Go inside," Daryl ordered as a few people climbed out of the jeep, dressed in army camouflage.

Layna turned and went back in the house, standing in front of the window to catch a glimpse of what was going on outside.

"What's going on?" Carol asked as she came out of a bedroom.

"There's people here. They look like the army. Where's everybody else?"

"They were in the backyard last I saw them," Carol answered her quickly.

Layna could see the three army people standing by the gate, guns in their hands as Rick and Daryl stood in front of them. She begged silently that they weren't dangerous. She noticed Daryl and Rick relax a little as they talked with them. Both of their hands had come off of their guns, and the others were rounding the corner of the house to see what was going on.

Daryl turned back and started walking back toward the house. Layna opened the door, quickly, waiting to see what he had to say. He stepped inside and looked back toward the gate.

"Who is it?" Layna asked nervously, as she bounced Gracie gently, trying to make her stop fussing.

"The army. They were looking for Dr. Price, the doc who lived here. They're rounding up all the local doctors they can find. Say they've got a cure."

Layna froze.

"A cure?"

"I don't know, I don't if we can trust them."

"Well Rick's letting them come in," Layna said quickly as she saw Rick opening the gate.

Layna stepped back out onto the porch with Daryl standing directly in front of her protectively. Everyone was introducing themselves to the two army guys and one woman who entered the gate and were on their way to the porch.

"I'm sergeant Shepherd," the older black man introduced himself, as he shook Layna's hand. "And this is Rhinehart," he pointed to the woman who's blonde hair was slicked back in a ponytail and covered by her hat. "And Davis," he said as he pointed to the young white guy who was standing the farthest away. He was the only one who still held his gun in his hands.

Layna smiled at them, and returned her hand to hold Gracie more securely.

"You all are so lucky," Sergeant Shepherd continued. "You've all survived this long. And with kids," he added as he looked back at Layna.

"So explain to us what is going on here," Rick suggested.

"We have a cure," Shepherd said quickly. "You should all come with us."

"Are you kidding me? Can we even trust them? What if they're as bat shit crazy as Jenner was?" Daryl growled as he pulled Rick to the side. "We aren't bringing that baby in the middle of a situation that was as bad as that."

"But what if they're not," Rick argued.

"Listen, we aren't trying to screw you guys over," Sergeant Shepherd interrupted. "I understand that you all finally found a safe place, but we have a cure. Right now, it isn't mandatory for everyone to come with us, but it will be soon. We have housing developments that we have set up. The whole area is guarded by us and we have doctors and scientists on hand."

"It really is safe," The woman, he called Rhinehart cut in. "The immunization we give, it knocks out the virus totally. It doesn't work on those have fully taken on the change, but it gets it out of your system if you haven't. For your own good, you should come with us. Let us immunize you, and protect you until we can do this to everyone."

"And if we don't come?" Daryl asked.

"We can't make you right now, but eventually we will because we'll be clearing and disinfecting every area. It's just the first steps to getting the world back on it's feet. It has to be done."

Layna looked back at Daryl and Rick. She couldn't believe it. Were they finally going to be saved?

"Listen, we'll come back in a few vehicles, it'll give you all time to pack your things. Expect us back before dark?" Shepherd suggested.

Layna looked back to Daryl and Rick. Rick actually seemed to be considering it.

Rick nodded. "Okay. It'll give us time to think this through."

* * *

"Daryl, calm down," Layna pleaded as she followed him to their bedroom.

Daryl glared back at her, still holding Gracie to her chest.

"How? We don't know if they're telling the truth or not."

"Why would they lie?" Layna asked.

"What if it ain't safe there? I ain't bringing you and Gracie into a dangerous situation."

"They said they had guards, and obviously they're bringing more people in," she said.

"Yeah more people. You've seen the kind of people left in this world. They're either bat shit crazy or…I don't even fuckin know."

"Daryl, this is finally it, don't you get it? The government finally found a cure. We've been hoping for this and now you're freaking out over it."

"I can't believe everybody jumped on board with those guys so quickly," Daryl muttered. "How can ya'll put so much trust in them. We don't know them? We've been screwed over so many damn times."

"We can't stay here forever," Layna said softly. "We have Gracie to think about, and I'd rather have her protected by a whole army than just us and an iron fence keeping the walkers and other creeps of the world out."

* * *

Layna held Gracie as everyone helped put each other's bags into the three larger vehicles that Shepherd, Rhinehart, and Davis came back in. She felt a little nervous, just because she didn't know what to expect. More than anything, she wanted the world to sort itself out for Gracie's sake. It seemed like it was all finally working out. Maybe Gracie wouldn't have to grow up in an unhealthy environment after all.

"Why don't we come in our own vehicles?" Rick suggested. "We'll follow ya'll, and it'll make everything easier."

Shepherd nodded. "That's fine, but let's get a move on before it gets dark."

Layna followed Daryl back to his truck. She'd noticed that he hadn't bothered putting Merle's motorcycle in the back. He seemed to finally be letting it go.

They rode in silence, Gracie's little noises breaking through it occasionally. Layna watched the trees blur by them as she wondered what they were surrendering themselves too. Daryl still didn't seem to be very confident, but she felt a little better knowing that Rick believed they were doing the right thing. Deep down, she thought they were too.

They rode on until they entered Atlanta, making Layna worry a little more.

"Why the hell are we coming back in this death trap?" Daryl grumbled.

Layna stared out the windows, realizing that the cars that snarled the highway were mostly cleared out.

"It doesn't look as bad," Layna said hopefully. "I think the government finally did it Daryl. We're gonna be okay." She wasn't sure if she was trying to tell him or herself.

Before long, they pulled into an area of the city she was unfamiliar with. There were tall fences set up with barbed wire on the tops, and dozens of guards standing around. It was obvious that they had a maximum security operation going on. Shepherd got out of his vehicle and talked with a few guards, seeming to be explaining about them.

Soon, they were all carrying their bags into a building that was guarded heavily.

Daryl stayed protectively by her side as they passed by guard after guard who stared them down as they passed. Shepherd stayed with them, speaking to them, and explaining the situation to the guards.

"Okay guys, this man is going to get your information, and then it'll be smooth sailing. They're going to explain everything that goes on here, and do a quick medial examination. We'll move you all to the housing area then," Shepherd explained quickly before jogging over to speak to a few other people dressed in camouflage.

"I'm scared," Sophia whispered from beside Layna.

"It's okay," Layna said softly. "They're just helping us."

"Have you all got many other survivors here?" Andrea asked the man that was supposed to be getting their information. He nodded.

"We have a few, but you all are the biggest group so far. Okay we need all of your names to put down. We'll search you all through the database when we get a chance."

Daryl stepped ahead of her, giving out his name to the guard with a pen and clipboard.

"What's your name miss?" the young man asked her next as she stepped up.

"Layna Elizabeth Palmer." The man spelled everything out as he wrote it, making sure he was spelling it all correctly.

"And What about…?" He pointed his pen at Gracie. How old is she?"

"She's only Five weeks old."

He stopped as if he was thinking.

"Oh…Well…Okay we'll have to add her to our information then. We'll be getting back to you for birthdates and everything else we'll need later. What's her name?"

"Gracie Faith…."

"Palmer?" the man asked casually.

"No, um….," Layna paused for a second. "Dixon."

Layna caught Daryl's quick glance back at her as the man wrote it down. She moved on toward the next set of guards when the man finished with them.

She hiked Gracie's diaper bag farther onto her shoulder and sighed as she stepped closer to Daryl.

"Here, let me take something," he suggested as he saw her struggle. "Let me take her."

"You can take the diaper bag if you want," Layna murmured, but Daryl held out his hands for Gracie.

"Are you sure?" Layna asked, unable to hide the surprise in her voice.

"Yeah just let me hold her," he said quickly.

Layna passed her on to him, in complete shock. She helped him hold her correctly, making sure he held her comfortably before they were escorted to the next group of guards. She tried to soak in the moment for as long as she could. It was the closest he had been to Gracie so far and he was the one who had offered.

_I'm officially calling this story complete. However, I have a really good idea for a sequel if anyone is interested. ( I kind of got the idea that maybe the government would cut in eventually by watching "28 Weeks Later.")Thanks to everyone who stuck with me through this little project. Even though it is over, please review and let me know what you thought about it. The sequel will be called "I'll feed your dreams." Subscribe to me or be on the lookout because it will be posted very soon if you guys would be interested in reading it._

_Final thoughts?_

_####Correction: I made the sequel, for those of you who keep commenting and asking for it. It is already started to so check it out please!_


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